I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1023 Monolithic Despotism, I Am the Only One
October 23rd, a day that everyone was eagerly anticipating, was the day the Ming Emperor went to the Quan Chu Guild Hall for a free meal.

Today, almost all eyes are on the Chu Guild Hall, trying to judge the emperor's attitude from his behavior.

Although Zhang Juzheng recovered this time, his political life had come to an end.

The emperor had been lying low for twenty years and had finally gotten rid of the regent above him. At this point, the emperor no longer needed to hide, because Zhang Juzheng's purge of his faction had almost crippled it.

Now, Zhang Juzheng is at his weakest point, and the emperor no longer needs to live in fear under Zhang Juzheng's tyranny for the sake of the court's stability and the country's well-being.

After the court meeting concluded on the 23rd, the imperial guards were ready in front of the Tonghe Palace. Whether the emperor would travel depended entirely on his wishes.

“Your Majesty, it’s time.” Feng Bao glanced at the clock in the corner. It was already 10 a.m. If they didn’t go soon, they wouldn’t have time to have lunch at the Quan Chu Guild Hall today. He was giving the reminder because it was His Majesty’s order. His Majesty was very busy, and even the schedules he set had to be arranged by him, the old ancestor.

Feng Bao dared not and could not disobey, and he was also unsure whether His Majesty would go, because sunk costs do not participate in major decisions.

All past actions do not have much influence on major decisions. This is what Shen Shixing and Lin Fucheng saw in Songjiang Prefecture and Luzon. This is not an emotional result.

When people invest, they all hope for an expected return, which could be labor, technology, management skills, or even a license or privilege. Tangible and intangible investments all require an expected return.

They will only participate in major decisions if the expected value is greater than zero.

Sunk costs are capital with zero current value. Zhang Juzheng is an asset whose current value has approached zero. His expected return is even negative compared to the huge investment. Therefore, Zhang Juzheng will gradually be regarded as decision noise.

To put it bluntly, it's time to put away the good bow and cook the hunting dog.

It's time to squeeze out the last bit of value from Zhang Juzheng and push him out to bear all the infamy, just like Shang Yang's reforms. Even in death, Shang Yang couldn't find peace and was torn apart by five horses.

Decision-making noise occurs when one is not involved in major or minor decisions, and people may make biased decisions based on emotions.

Maintaining Zhang Juzheng's exalted status required expending the imperial prestige that the emperor had painstakingly accumulated.

In fact, choosing not to go at this moment would be the right decision for His Majesty.

Within a limited and controllable scope, allowing court officials to investigate and rectify all of Zhang Juzheng's policies and correct some of his mistakes aligns with the basic developmental logic of the negation of negation.

Conflicts always arise and fall, and this fluctuation is a negation of the past. This negation can better improve policies, so that we can always move forward.

For example, Ling Yunyi partially rejected the excessive emphasis on personal relationships by Duke Wencheng, Wang Chonggu, which led to the improvement of the official factory system and the emergence of the shareholding system and the labor alliance.

But the key question is, unlike Zhang Juzheng, what happened to Wang Chonggu after his death was not as limited or controllable. Once this precedent was set, could he still be controlled by the emperor?

"Alright." Zhu Yijun finished dealing with the last memorial in his hand, stood up, took out a few more memorials from the bookshelf and put them in his sleeve, and walked towards the imperial carriage in front of the door.

The emperor suddenly stopped and said, "Master Feng, are you, like the other ministers, hoping that I won't go to the Quan Chu Guild Hall today?"

Feng Bao shuddered. In a flash, his thoughts raced, but ultimately he concluded that His Majesty disliked hearing lies. He bowed and said, "Back then, I helped the Grand Secretary drive away Gao Gong. If Your Majesty hadn't gone, I would have had to go to Fengyang to farm."

His Majesty's attitude is very important, as it directly affects the assessment and characterization of Zhang Juzheng and the Wanli Reforms, whether Zhang Juzheng was abusing his power and acting as regent, or whether the Ming Dynasty had to be destroyed before it could be rebuilt.

If Your Majesty does not go now, all the efforts made by the people of the Ming Dynasty, both inside and outside the country, over the past twenty years to revive the Ming Dynasty will become a joke. What will become of the Martyrs' Shrine in Xishan?
"Let's proceed to the Quan Chu Guild Hall." Zhu Yijun strode out, boarded his imperial carriage, and headed towards the Quan Chu Guild Hall.

"Let's go!" Feng Bao shouted loudly as soon as the Empress and the Crown Prince were seated in the carriage.

Pairs of eunuchs relayed imperial edicts, and signs for avoiding or avoiding the emperor were raised. Palace officials lifted canopies to shade the imperial carriage. Zhao Mengyou rode a tall horse at the front, clearing the way for His Majesty, while two hundred imperial guards protected the emperor.

The imperial guards, clad entirely in steel armor, each carried a large shield, a hook-and-sickle spear, and various flintlock muskets on their backs.

The procession was very long. Anyone with eyes could tell that His Majesty the Emperor had made a choice and was going to the Quan Chu Guild Hall for another meal, seemingly no different from usual.

Zhu Yijun's carriage arrived at the Quan Chu Guild Hall, where Zhang Juzheng was waiting for the emperor. The high threshold of the Quan Chu Guild Hall had been removed, allowing the emperor to walk on flat ground.

Zhu Yijun inquired about Zhang Juzheng's health along the way, and walked across the Nine-Bend Bridge, past the old tree, and into the Wenchang Pavilion.

"Twenty years have passed, and this tree has grown so well." Zhu Yijun stood under the Chinese hackberry tree. He recalled the past, when he held the blood-stained last letter of Duke Cheng, Zhu Xizhong, and found the scene where Zhang Juzheng wanted to promote martial arts. At that time, this Chinese hackberry tree was not yet very thick.

Time flies like an arrow, and twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The handsome Zhang Juzheng of yesteryear now has a full head of white hair.

Looking at the imposing emperor, Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial and presented it before the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I am fortunate to be physically healthy, but my energy is failing. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant my request to retire and return home to my family."

Zhu Yijun glanced at the memorial and set it aside, then shook his head and said, "Release him to return to his relatives? Do you know how many eyes were watching me when I came here today? If I hadn't come today, they would have dared to devour you alive tomorrow! A disgraced prime minister and Marquis of Yicheng cannot withstand their counterattack and retribution."

"Sir, please enjoy your old age in peace. It is my turn to protect you from the wind and rain."

Zhang Juzheng was old, but he wasn't stupid. He immediately understood the emperor's plan: a centralized autocracy where the emperor was the sole ruler.

It wasn't until after Zhang Juzheng's death that a new position of Grand Secretary was established. In other words, the emperor intended to take over Zhang Juzheng's functions, which meant that His Majesty would be even busier.

Zhang Juzheng's first thought was that the emperor was too busy, but he quickly realized that His Majesty was in the prime of his life and could manage the workload.

"I originally intended to bring Shen Shixing into the cabinet, but a few days ago, during the court recommendation at the Wenhua Hall, Shen Shixing failed. The ministers then deliberately put Shen Shixing in an in-between position, making it difficult for him to gain the respect of the people." Zhu Yijun spoke of the court recommendation, the votes deliberately cast by the court ministers.

This ticket design, seemingly intended to frame Shen Shixing, is actually meant to frame the emperor.

"Although I am old and frail, I can still share Your Majesty's burdens." After hearing the process of the court recommendation, Zhang Juzheng realized that the court officials could not accept the emergence of another chief minister who had absolute authority.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Sir, just rest assured and recuperate. It's just a matter of expending a little more energy."

"Sir, Xiong Tingbi has won a great victory in Japan!" Zhu Yijun handed Xiong Tingbi's report of victory to Zhang Juzheng and told him about the situation in Japan.

Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "General Qi's judgment is correct. Neither Toyotomi Hideyoshi nor Tokugawa Ieyasu could remove the Ming Dynasty's stronghold in Japan, so they were powerless to launch another war to invade Korea."

"I also intend to let Xiong Tingbi give it a try. Whether he succeeds or not is not important. Let him gain experience."

After analyzing the situation in Japan, Zhang Juzheng pondered for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, how can Xiong Tingbi allow the Divine Fire Flying Crow to be subdued?"

The Ming Dynasty assessed the destructive power of the Nine-Jin Cannon and the Divine Fire Flying Crow. Under the same manufacturing and usage costs, the Divine Fire Flying Crow's destructive power was three times that of the Nine-Jin Cannon, or even more.

Because of this fire, anyone who gets into it will surely die.

Burns are the most difficult external injuries to treat on the battlefield because the battlefield environment is extremely harsh. After a burn, it is easy to die from festering and infection. Therefore, it was merciful for the Ming army to finish off the Japanese pirates, to give them a way out. Even with the medical officers of the Ming army, they could not save them.

Previously, the Divine Fire Flying Crow was unstable, moving with the wind and not supporting a horizontal firing position. Now, after its shape has been improved, the range has been sacrificed but the stability has been greatly increased. However, no one expected that Xiong Tingbi would use it in this way.

His bloodthirstiness was more intense than Zhang Juzheng had anticipated.

The use of divine fire and flying crows to level the conflict would rapidly increase unnecessary casualties in the course of the war to a level that is unbearable for both sides, causing more civilian casualties and ultimately turning a justified war into an unjust one.

Zhu Yijun understood Zhang Juzheng's meaning perfectly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't think there's a problem. Xiong Tingbi allowed Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhisong to send their envoys out of the city to negotiate and asked Sakai Tadatsugu to back down. It was Sakai Tadatsugu who refused to back down. Since we're going to fight, we should fight to deter Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu from trying to test their strength again."

"It's better to break one finger than to injure all ten; we must strike hard against the Japanese pirates."

"Your Majesty is right." After much deliberation, Zhang Juzheng accepted the situation. Xiong Tingbi was indeed ruthless because the Japanese were being unreasonable and refused to leave, insisting on testing the strength of the Ming Dynasty.

Such atrocities are entirely the responsibility of the Japanese.

"In complex terrain, the Divine Fire Flying Crow is even more useful than the Nine-Jin Cannon because it is easy to transport. It may become a great weapon against mountain cities. Not only in Japan, but also in the Battle of Pingbo, the Divine Fire Flying Crow performed very well." Zhu Yijun took out the Ministry of War's memorial and handed it to Zhang Juzheng.

The military is a direct form of violence, the most sophisticated and efficient killing machine in humankind. Military equipment and training are always evolving towards more efficient killing.

The Divine Fire Flying Crow, as a highly efficient, low-cost, and highly lethal incendiary weapon, has been widely used.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng talked for a long time, discussing his thoughts and decisions, and asking Zhang Juzheng for his approval. After lunch, the emperor headed to the Beida Camp to continue inspecting the troops.

Meanwhile, Shen Shixing, who was working at the Ministry of Personnel, was feeling uneasy. He hadn't expected his entry into the cabinet to be so complicated. After thinking it over, he took a visiting card and had his clerk deliver it to the Ministry of Rites.

Shen Shixing had some things he wanted to say but had no one to talk to. After thinking it over, he finally turned to Gao Qiyu.

Gao Qiyu found the invitation to visit strange, but he eventually agreed. As the sun set, Shen Shixing went to Gao Qiyu's official residence.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Shen Shixing confided his troubles to Gao Qiyu. He had stumbled and struggled to get to where he was now, but he couldn't bring himself to take the final step.

People become flustered when it concerns themselves, especially when it comes to such important matters.

Looking at Shen Shixing's distressed expression, Gao Qiyu said with a smile, "Back then, when I saw you, the top scholar, parading through the capital in red and colorful robes, you were truly full of vigor and ambition. Now that you've reached this point, you're so anxious and insecure."

"You're overthinking it. Whether you join the cabinet or not is up to His Majesty, not the ministers. Cabinet ministers and court officials are completely different; it all depends on His Majesty's will."

"Even if all the court officials agree, if His Majesty doesn't approve, no one can enter; similarly, even if all the court officials disagree, if His Majesty approves, everyone has to approve."

"His Majesty approves of you, so why are you so worried?"

“That’s true.” Shen Shixing pondered Gao Qiyu’s meaning and realized that he was thinking too much and too chaotically, which led him into a dead end.

He had actually considered lobbying the ministers to give up some benefits in exchange for their approval, but he didn't know if it was the right thing to do, so he came to Gao Qiyu.

After Gao Qiyu's reminder, Shen Shixing immediately realized that trying to persuade ministers would only make it harder to win their support and make his future path even more difficult! "I'm still wondering why you came to me, a former disciple of the Zhang family, to pour out your grievances?" Gao Qiyu poured wine for Shen Shixing and asked with some curiosity. Shen Shixing didn't seek out anyone else, but instead came to him, who was Shen Shixing's enemy.

"A disgraced disciple of the Zhang family?" Shen Shixing drank his fill, shook his head, and said, "I cannot seek out my master. He has already done everything in his power to help me get to where I am today. If I seek out my master, it would be an act of incompetence. I also cannot seek out members of the Zhang family. I am the party leader. If I show weakness, how can I continue to be the party leader?"

"After thinking it over, it can only be you. Besides, you're in charge of the imperial examinations. I don't know how much cheating there is. You came straight to me after you left the examination hall, didn't you?"

"You can contact me, but I can't contact you?"

“That makes sense.” Gao Qiyu drank a cup with him.

He felt that Shen Shixing was right. In fact, once they reached the position of Minister and Grand Secretary, whether or not they abandoned their disciples was no longer important. On the contrary, he, as an enemy, was more reliable than Shen Shixing and his own people.

"That's enough wine, we can't drink anymore, there's court tomorrow." Gao Qiyu stopped pouring wine, sealed the bottle and put it aside. The two of them hadn't drunk much, less than three liang each, and there was still a lot left in the bottle of Guojiao.

Gao Qiyu frowned and asked, "Grand Secretary Shen, next year His Majesty will make a southern tour, and Vice Minister Ling will stay in the capital. We will accompany His Majesty south. His Majesty will stay in Songjiang Prefecture and needs your assistance in resolving the extravagance in Jiangnan. Do you have any plans?"

"As the gentleman once said, although the general direction may not change much in a certain period of time, the smaller directions contained within the general direction can change at any time. If one direction is blocked, it will turn to another direction. Little by little, it will accumulate and eventually lead to a change in the general direction."

"It may seem that extravagance and the all-powerful nature of money don't have a big impact, but if these small aspects become too numerous, they will eventually change the overall direction."

Gao Qiyu was talking about a section of the theory of contradictions. Some people who are not very bright, have limited knowledge, and have few sources of information always feel that the general direction has suddenly changed. How could the atmosphere have changed so suddenly?
Actually, that's not the case. Nothing happens suddenly. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. Sudden changes in the overall direction are all the result of the accumulation of small changes.

Every choice a person makes influences the overall direction of change.

“Money has indeed demonstrated its omnipotence.” Shen Shixing immediately pointed out the main contradiction of this southern tour: the omnipotence of money is the root cause of its alienation of people.

Gao Qiyu leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed in worry, and said, "Can loyalty, or even benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, really help us resist the alienation that money has on us? In Songjiang Prefecture, money can buy almost everything in the world!"

“People can be disciplined. The wife of Fan Yuanshan, the anti-corruption censor, was disciplined. In just a few months, she went from being frugal to wanting to do everything the same as everyone else. Fan Yuanshan had His Majesty’s token, so no one dared to act recklessly towards him. But if it were someone else, how could they resist such a continuous offensive?”

"The corruption of money can be overwhelming or it can be subtle and gradual. Over time, people's standards of good and evil will change. Money will be seen as good, and poverty as evil. If this happens, the Ming Dynasty will probably not last long."

"Be careful what you say! Be careful what you say!" Shen Shixing regretted asking Gao Qiyu for help. This guy had become increasingly outspoken lately. How could he say that the Ming Dynasty had perished? That was very incorrect, but the guy said it in a way that left no room for rebuttal.

With the social consensus that money is omnipotent, the rich are good, and the poor are evil, the Ming Dynasty is likely to become a monster that even it despises.

"There's a saying in Songjiang Prefecture: 'People laugh at poverty but not prostitution.' That's utterly absurd." Shen Shixing reached for more wine. He thought he was very capable, but he couldn't solve this problem. He wanted to drink some more, but Gao Qiyu wouldn't let him.

The saying "laughing at poverty but not at prostitution" is a sign of rampant materialism, declining social morality, moral decay, and the collapse of social order.

Prostitution is a form of labor in which one sells their body and dignity in exchange for wages. It seems no different from that of a cart puller, woodcutter, laborer, or dockworker. In social labor, everyone is selling their labor and dignity.

However, prostitution is a complete self-objectification, where the individual is sold as a commodity, rather than an indirect sale of labor.

Complete self-objectification, without self-awareness or self-love, is the formation of a social consensus that the rich are good and the poor are evil—a seemingly correct and reasonable logic that is absurd in every way.

"Do you have any ideas? You're going to be the Grand Secretary! Don't you have any ideas at all?!" Gao Qiyu pondered for a long time and realized he had no good solutions, so he put pressure on Shen Shixing directly!

If you can't even handle this little thing, what kind of prime minister are you?
“You know what, I actually have some ideas,” Shen Shixing said, sitting up straight. “Clothing, food, housing, and transportation.”

"Hmm?" Gao Qiyu was taken aback, moved his stool closer to Shen Shixing's position, and said, "Tell me in detail."

“Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are necessities for human life. If the prices of these four items are kept within a reasonable range, virtuous scholars will naturally be able to resist the alienation of money.” Shen Shixing held up four fingers and said: “West Mountain Coal Bureau, firewood; cotton mill, clothing; government offices in the factory, shelter; imperial roads, transportation.”

“You see, the court officials’ views on the official residence are clearly divided and completely different.”

"Officials below the fifth rank are eager to support His Majesty. Living in the capital is not easy; housing is expensive, and schooling is even more expensive. This official residence solves their immediate problem. But officials above the fifth rank, though they don't say it, are all cursing in their hearts, feeling that His Majesty is meddling too much."

"After much consideration, I believe that combating the alienation of money requires addressing these four aspects, and maintaining fair prices is the key."

Food is the most important thing for people, and the most expensive part of food is firewood. For thousands of years, mountains have been cut down to the point of being barren for the sake of firewood. Shen Shixing saw hope in the Wanli Reforms: the alienation of money can be resisted, and this can be done by resisting it on a material level.

"Morality is class morality. When people are starving and naked, they have no choice but to accept this alienation. They either become accomplices to the tyrant or become food for the tyrant. The court must find ways to give people a choice."

Shen Shixing continued, "Given that Fan Yuanshan was previously hunted down, it seems he had no choice before obtaining the deed to the official residence."

"Compromise seemed to be his only way out, but he still persevered. After obtaining the property deed, he was much more at ease dealing with Miss Lin, rather than being forced to accept it."

"You're right! You're right!" Gao Qiyu's eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed. He shook his head and said, "Difficult."

“Yes,” Shen Shixing replied immediately.

The two remained silent. Gao Qiyu opened the wine and filled Shen Shixing's and his own cups. The two drank another cup, still without saying a word.

Shen Shixing sought out Gao Qiyu because they were both comrades working together to revive the Ming Dynasty. Although there were some contradictions and conflicts, they all revolved around the revival of the Ming Dynasty, rather than fundamental or ideological contradictions.

Gao Qiyu thought it was feasible, but his eyes dimmed because he knew that this was really, really difficult to do.

There is a problem that Shen Shixing cannot solve right now: the Ming Dynasty is reducing the collection of land tax. Once the collection of land tax is reduced, the imperial court does not feel much of a difference because the annual revenue mainly comes from the increase of government factories and customs duties, but local governments are in an unprecedented financial crisis.

Land tax was almost the only source of income for local government offices. If land tax continued to decrease, local government offices would definitely turn their attention to food, clothing, housing and transportation. For example, the Han Dynasty had a salt and iron monopoly, and salt tax was an important source of fiscal revenue from the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty. For example, the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties had a wine monopoly.

To solve the financial crisis of local government offices, nothing else matters but housing; that alone is enough.

Shen Shixing's idea of ​​empowering people with choices through affordable clothing, food, housing, and transportation is correct, but achieving it seems like a pipe dream.

The two looked at each other in silence, as if their path ahead was blocked by a towering mountain.

"It's as difficult as climbing to heaven," Gao Qiyu said again with a sigh.

Shen Shixing thought for a moment and said, "We have to do it, even if it's difficult, right? Let's give it a try. When you started the Wanli Reforms, you didn't think it would definitely succeed. Whether it will succeed or not, we'll only know after we try."

"If we fail to do it, we don't blame heaven or earth, we blame ourselves for not doing it well."

Gao Qiyu poured more wine, and after the two drank together, Shen Shixing chose to take his leave.

The following morning, during a court meeting, after the ministers paid their respects, the emperor announced the imperial edict appointing Shen Shixing to the cabinet. Shen Shixing was promoted to Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and concurrently appointed Minister of Personnel to oversee administration. From then on, the fifty-seven-year-old Shen Shixing became Grand Secretary Shen.

This was something the court officials had expected, but what surprised them was that Zhang Juzheng actually did not return to court. He claimed to be ill and recuperating, but did not resign from any of his positions.

Zhu Yijun took out several approved memorials and said, "These seven matters need no further discussion in court; they should be implemented directly."

"The Ministry of Justice is aware that prostitution is strictly prohibited in the five provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. Effective immediately, all open and covert prostitution will be severely punished. The first offense will result in re-education through labor, and the second offense will result in exile to Southeast Asia. Similarly, human trafficking agencies in the above five provinces will be severely punished. Any resistance will be met with death."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Ling Yunyi quickly stood up and bowed his head.

Zhu Yijun continued, “The Ministry of Rites knows that the Dinghai Education System is a fundamental undertaking of the nation and the foundation for a hundred years of prosperity. The training of accountants in various villages and towns involves millions of farmers. The capable will be promoted and the mediocre will be dismissed. They will receive sufficient military training in June. Those who cannot endure it will be released and sent back to their hometowns and will not be allowed to enroll again. Without perseverance, nothing can be accomplished.”

"Students who fail the three examinations or fail the three times will be dismissed and expelled; those who talk about ghosts, gods, or religion will be sentenced to labor camp; those who dare to preach on campus will be sentenced to death without pardon; those who spread the so-called evil religions such as the Blissful Religion will have their families implicated."

"Anyone who shields or condones such behavior will be punished the same way."

"Your Majesty, we obey." Shen Li and Gao Qiyu quickly stood up and bowed their heads to accept the order.

These are two separate matters: the assessment of students and the assessment of university faculty and staff. This will increase the elimination of mediocre talents and reduce the waste of national funds. The Dinghai education system was valuable in its creation and also in its maintenance. The rice of the Ming emperor will not be used to support fools.

Those who believe in religion will be punished with labor camps, those who preach religion will be beheaded, and those who spread evil spirits will be punished along with their relatives. These are three different levels of punishment. The court does not care what one believes in, but one cannot receive a salary from the court while engaging in missionary work or doing other bad things.

"The Ministry of Works knows that the geomancers, the Ministry of Works' estimations, and the Ministry of Revenue's audits have determined the construction period. Unless absolutely necessary, early completion is strictly prohibited to prevent all kinds of accidents and ensure quality and quantity."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Zeng Tongheng stepped forward, bowed his head, and accepted the order.

"Grand Secretary Lu, I know that the Ministry of Education has been good at teaching and criticizing you. Anyone who speaks ill of you will be executed. I have already taken heed of this. You are seriously ill and are taking this opportunity to cause trouble. Do not blame me for being ruthless."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Lu Guangzu hurriedly stepped forward to receive the order.

"The Ministry of War is aware that Governor Liang Menglong and General Liu Ting reported that Yang Yinglong colluded with several chieftains, which is why he is so audacious and has the intention to rebel. Those who colluded with him shall all be punished as traitors and shall not be tolerated."

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhu Yijun looked around at the assembled officials before continuing, "From this day forward, regular court meetings will no longer be held. Cabinet ministers and ministers will obey orders and perform their duties. When regular court meetings are reinstated, they will be subject to my decrees. If there are urgent matters, I will summon the heads of various ministries for meetings. Ministers may come to Tonghe Palace for an audience if they have urgent matters."

"Go away."

"Your Majesty..." Upon hearing that the regular court session had been suspended, Ling Yunyi hurriedly stepped forward. He was old and momentarily speechless. The regular court session, established due to the young emperor and the uncertainty of the country, had stumbled and struggled to reach its current state, eventually forming a complete set of decision-making logic.

They're actually stopping?
"It will recover in the future, so the Second Grand Secretary need not worry." Zhu Yijun stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left the Wenhua Hall.

The emperor's meaning is very clear: the regular court discussions will not be restored until after Zhang Juzheng's death. At this critical moment, the emperor wants to maintain absolute autocracy until Zhang Juzheng passes away, until no one dares to touch Zhang Juzheng's posthumous reputation.

(End of this chapter)