I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1099 Do not pursue empty fame for the sake of real disaster
Chen Zhun is a very interesting person. Ever since he stopped charging money for writing articles, his writing has become sharper.

The phrase "rebels of the Later Yuan" succinctly and concisely defines the behavior and nature of this rhetoric that has been used since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. It boasts of the Yuan Dynasty's benevolence while subtly criticizing the Ming Dynasty for being too strict and lenient.

Moreover, the simple four characters make it easier to spread.

The simpler something is, the easier it is to spread. As a result, after two hundred years, the forces that undermined the rule, authority, and legitimacy of the imperial court finally found their opposite.

From the term "rebels of the Later Yuan," one can easily deduce that the local gentry and powerful families of the Ming Dynasty, who had been established for hundreds or even thousands of years, never truly stood with the Ming Dynasty.

For example, the Confucius family of Yanzhou, with their phrase "Fengyang Zhu, nouveau riche," clearly expressed their attitude and stance.

"The sun and moon have been obscured and then restored to their former glory, a miracle akin to the resurrection of the dead. The expulsion of the Tartars and the rebuilding of China—such a great achievement, yet they slander and vilify it so vehemently. Humans are truly a strange thing." Zhu Yijun, reading Chen Zhun's article, was also deeply moved.

A group of Han people opposed the Han-established empire and instead supported and rallied the Hu Yuan dynasty established by the Hu people. What an act of forgetting one's ancestors! Yet this behavior prevailed for two hundred years until after the Wanli Reforms, when some voices of opposition began to emerge among the people.

It's strange, yet not so strange, that these local gentry and the scholars they cultivated were sparing no effort in fabricating all sorts of brutal, bloody, and terrifying stories to undermine the authority of the Ming Dynasty.

Is it really because of interests? Yes, it is because of interests, but not entirely because of interests.

The Ming Dynasty only collected a small amount of tax. After Emperor Xiaozong, the Ming Dynasty could not even collect such a small amount of tax. There was no money anywhere. Even the construction of the imperial mausoleum only cost 390,000 taels of silver, and there was a debt of 110,000 taels of silver. The following year, the money was scraped together to pay off the debt.

However, the emperors of the Yuan dynasty lived in luxury from beginning to end. Even the last emperor, Yuan Shundi, lived an extremely extravagant life in the Central Plains. In the last few years before the fall of the Yuan dynasty, the annual revenue still exceeded 15 million taels of silver.

After Emperor Xiaozong, the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty was only five or six million taels of silver.

In terms of taxation, the Ming Dynasty was not only not strict, but in some respects, it was even more lenient than the Yuan Dynasty.

Wan Shihe had repeatedly mentioned this point to His Majesty when he was sorting out the old cases of the Yuan Dynasty. He said that what these scholar-officials were saying was wrong, at least on the matter of taxation.

So what exactly were these scholar-officials opposing? The Ming Dynasty had clearly reached a point of leniency, even cutting the land taxable by half.

It's not for profit, but clearly for status.

Later, the Yuan rebels opposed the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming court refused to govern the country together with the scholar-officials.

Whether it was the Song Dynasty or the Yuan Dynasty, whether by choice or by inability, the scholar-officials and the local gentry they represented became the true highest ruling class in their respective regions.

But when the Ming Dynasty came to power, even though it was desperately poor, it still maintained the basic framework of its rule, preventing them from doing whatever they wanted. This was what the "rebels of the Later Yuan" had been fighting for, and what the Ming emperors never gave up.

This actually confirms an important point in class theory: class identity is greater than ethnic identity.

Zhu Yijun had a good talk with Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang about his ideas. The Grand Tutor and the Imperial Tutor exchanged glances, one continued reading his book, and the other went back to fishing.

Your Majesty is truly gifted in politics, which you probably traded for your military talent.

When it comes to political issues, His Majesty's understanding is exceptionally clear and thorough, distinguishing precisely between primary and secondary contradictions. However, whenever military matters are discussed, His Majesty's pronouncements leave Qi Jiguang completely bewildered.

While his military talent may be somewhat lacking, it's perfectly adequate for the present day, especially since we're not building or pioneering anything new.

To conquer the world, one must possess exceptional military talent. Your Majesty, as the heir to the throne, only needs to master the three basic, foolproof techniques, which are more than sufficient.

Seeing that the two imperial tutors were busy with their own affairs, Zhu Yijun also took a break and stayed by the Dragon Pool, watching Qi Jiguang fish. When he had nothing else to do, he chatted with the two gentlemen to strengthen their relationship.

"General Qi, why did the Marquis of Ningyuan so easily give up on nurturing bandits to maintain his own power? He had been nurturing them for a long time, and then he just killed them like that." Zhu Yijun couldn't understand it. In the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, he thought the Liaodong issue would be the most difficult problem.

At the time, he didn't have a good impression of Li Chengliang, but unexpectedly, it was resolved in the simplest and gentlest way, and both sides were able to maintain a dignified appearance.

"Does Your Majesty think that the court or the border regions are most disgusted by fighting a war?" Qi Jiguang did not answer the question directly.

"The imperial court, perhaps?" Zhu Yijun pondered carefully before answering the question seriously. He immediately said, "If the border regions harbor bandits to maintain their own power, the imperial court will not dare to act rashly, thus giving them more freedom? They can do whatever they want without the imperial court's restraint."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng fell silent, tacitly agreeing with the emperor's idea, as he also thought so.

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "They are soldiers from the border region, and they hate bad wars the most."

"Because they are the ones who fight the bandits to the death on the battlefield. They are risking their own lives. If given a choice, no soldier would want to fight a bad war, because a bad war means a protracted war and a great risk of death."

"I survived one bloody battle by sheer luck, but after two or three, nobody knows if they will survive."

Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of Li Rusong. In the original timeline, he had defeated the Japanese pirates in Korea, but when he returned to the Ming Dynasty, he was caught off guard and fell into a trap while leading a light cavalry to pursue the bandits during the battle against the Zhaohua Five Tribes.

You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

As the war drags on, the risk of death increases infinitely, and no one knows if they will be lucky enough to survive.

Qi Jiguang knew from the Emperor's thoughtful expression and Zhang Juzheng's furrowed brows that these two top decision-makers of the empire fully understood what he was saying.

What is most commendable about His Majesty the Emperor and Zhang Juzheng is their ability to put themselves in others' shoes and empathize with them. This is an extremely special kind of empathy, and when they encounter something they don't understand, they will ask someone knowledgeable for help.

No one is omniscient or omnipotent, so we need to ask those who understand.

Qi Jiguang continued, "The Marquis of Ningyuan's practice of raising bandits in Liaodong to maintain his own power is merely a last resort. If he had someone in the court to help him like I do, he wouldn't have to do this. The soldiers on the front lines hate bad battles the most; it's like gambling with their lives."

"The imperial court has paid the back wages and the salary, so the Marquis of Ningyuan has no reason to continue to support bandits and maintain his power. He has no choice but to give up. If he doesn't, he'll probably be beheaded by the three thousand soldiers he raised and sent to the capital to receive a reward."

"Putting others aside, Li Rusong had been thinking about it for a long time. In the end, when Marquis Ningyuan left Liaodong, Li Rusong was very disappointed."

Qi Jiguang began his long discourse, which Zhu Yijun listened to with great interest, nodding repeatedly. Qi Jiguang talked about the group of household servants and guest soldiers, saying that guest soldiers were a double-edged sword, both for the court and for the generals.

The main source of the guest soldiers were outlaws, whose biggest characteristic was that they were not very obedient to order.

Don't underestimate Li Chengliang just because he only has three thousand retainers. Maintaining these three thousand retainers is extremely expensive. It requires a lot of money to keep their morale up, prevent them from becoming disorganized, and ensure they don't turn their swords against Li Chengliang.

The result of not following the rules is that the guest soldiers are the most likely to get out of control. Compared with the garrison soldiers and camp soldiers, the guest soldiers are more likely to demand pay and rewards.

How terrifying it is when violence gets out of control is something that even Qi Jiguang didn't need to elaborate on; Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng both understood.

In the fourth year of the Jianzhong era of the Tang Dynasty, the military governor of Huaining rebelled. Emperor Dezong of Tang dispatched the Jingyang troops to quell the rebellion. When the Jingyang troops reached Chang'an, they were dissatisfied with not receiving their reward money and launched a mutiny. Emperor Dezong of Tang fled Chang'an in a sorry state. This was the Fengtian Disaster and the Jingyang Mutiny in the mid-Tang Dynasty.

This wasn't a matter of choice for Li Chengliang; he had no choice but to do it. If he didn't give up, it would be extremely dangerous.

“Raising bandits to maintain one’s own importance doesn’t seem so easy,” Zhu Yijun said sincerely. It turned out that Li Chengliang’s practice of raising bandits to maintain his own importance was not as easy as it seemed on the surface, but rather a tightrope walk. A slight misstep could lead to his utter destruction. As soon as a glimmer of hope appeared, he immediately made his choice.

Let's gamble on the emperor's determination to strengthen the military, and on the emperor's conscience.

"It's not easy." Qi Jiguang's eyes were somewhat unfocused. He recalled the past before shaking his head and saying, "If there were any way, local generals would not be willing to harbor bandits and become powerful. No one knows exactly where the line of backlash is. Moreover, soldiers are also human beings. They are the ones fighting and risking their lives. They know what their generals are doing."

"Your Majesty, the more authoritative the court is, the more it protects its generals; the weaker and more chaotic the court is, the more dangerous it is for its generals."

"It is easy to govern a strong state, but difficult to govern a weak and chaotic one."

Zhu Yijun truly understood what Qi Jiguang said.

When the Tang Dynasty was at its most powerful, no one dared to kill a military governor and replace him with another. But as the Tang Dynasty's prestige was tarnished, after the An Lushan Rebellion, 117 military governors were killed by mutinies of their subordinates.

These soldiers who killed the military governor were not afraid at all, because the imperial court had no power to punish their actions.

Li Chengliang's choice to raise bandits for personal gain was a terrible one, driven by the corruption and desperation of the imperial court. Only a madman would choose to become a barbarian chieftain if he could become a marquis of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun chatted with Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng for a whole morning. After lunch, he left Longchi and went to Jinshan military camp to inspect the navy. When he returned to Yanqing Palace, he had to work overtime to finish processing the memorials he had taken the time to write that day.

After the emperor left, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang went about their own business, and it was quiet for more than an hour. Suddenly, Zhang Juzheng looked up and said, "After we leave, will His Majesty be in danger? You know what I mean? Will the Beijing Garrison and the Navy become arrogant and mutiny because the rewards are not enough?"

"No." Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "Even if His Majesty doesn't pay them, but only gives them food, the Beijing Garrison and the Navy are willing to risk their lives for them."

"Just give me a meal?" Zhang Juzheng asked, his brows furrowed.

Qi Jiguang said with a smile, "Well, just give them a meal. The Beijing Garrison and the Navy are all selected from military garrisons and government factories. They are not outcasts or after money. Grand Secretary, today's Beijing Garrison and Navy are all literate and reasonable."

"What do we hope for? We hope for national prosperity and peace, for tranquility and stability, for harmonious governance and a peaceful society, for the eternal stability of our Ming Dynasty, and for the eternal existence of our land."

"Reporting to the emperor and saving the common people is never just empty talk."

"Your Majesty is indeed not very good at military affairs. Is that alright?" Zhang Juzheng asked the question that worried him the most. He was concerned that after he and Qi Jiguang passed away, His Majesty's military talent was not good enough to control these strong soldiers and generals, and that he would be in danger.

After careful consideration, Qi Jiguang nodded and said, "No problem. His Majesty has a great talent for logistics. With his three key skills, that's more than enough. Grand Secretary, firearms are too reliant on logistics. The more importance is attached to firearms, the more important logistics becomes."

"In full-scale firearms warfare, logistics, and the transportation routes and key cities surrounding logistics, are the most important factors determining the outcome of a war."

With the full arrival of the firearms age, military affairs became an extension of politics.

Although the three-pronged approach is a bit clumsy, it is simple and convenient to use, and will not cause any mistakes, making it very suitable for Your Majesty.

"Prime Minister, don't look down on these three tricks. Let me tell you, the greatest truths are the simplest, you know? During the Wanli Reforms, the Ming Dynasty was at its peak, and these three tricks relied on its overwhelming national power to suppress everything." Qi Jiguang said with great certainty, "Prime Minister, do you know what kind of battles the soldiers like to fight the most?" "What?" Zhang Juzheng asked immediately. He had never thought about it before. Soldiers naturally hate fighting bad battles, and he had never thought about what kind of battles the soldiers like to fight.

"A battle where victory is immediately apparent, a battle you know you will win—no one, not just soldiers, dislikes such a battle in military affairs," Qi Jiguang said with a broad smile. "And Your Majesty's three-pronged approach is precisely this kind of battle."

"Once we enter the second phase, we just need to wait for the opponent to break down on their own. It may be a bit slow, but as long as we can win, that's all that matters."

Zhang Juzheng never fought a war, so he had no idea how satisfying it was to fight a battle where victory was so obvious. The most important thing on the battlefield was simply to win; winning was more important than anything else.

For an army, the key to marching and fighting is morale. If it is known from the beginning that a battle will be won, then morale will naturally be very high, and it will be possible to maintain high morale without expending too much energy or effort.

The most important question of winning or losing was already resolved before the battle.

The only drawback of this method is that it's a bit slow.

During the Yongle era, Zhang Fu pacified Jiaozhi in just three months, but this time the Ming army has been attacking Annam for almost a year, meaning they have completely captured the Red River Plain.

However, compared to winning, achieving both military and political victories simultaneously, a slower pace is entirely acceptable.

After careful consideration, Zhang Juzheng gradually put aside his worries. He realized that Qi Jiguang was more skilled in military administration, and Zhang Juzheng felt that he was worrying unnecessarily.

Zhu Yijun certainly wanted things to be quick. If he had the military talent of Emperor Chengzu Wen, he would have already personally led an expedition against Annam, strategizing and sweeping away all the rebels in one fell swoop with the force of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. But he didn't have that talent, so he didn't want to cause trouble.

The Ming emperor received a memorial from Grand Secretary Shen Shixing, which aimed to rectify official corruption. Specifically, Shen Shixing put forward new requirements for official governance: one should not pursue empty fame at the expense of real disaster.

This is a sentence from the Zuo Zhuan, which is a requirement for personal conduct. The principles in this book, even after two thousand years, can still be understood without any annotation.

Shen Shixing began by discussing the case of Lü Kun, a renowned and highly respected scholar. Before his downfall, he had an excellent reputation, but this reputation was all empty; he had no real achievements to speak of. It was through this empty reputation that he gradually rose to become the governor of Shanxi.

The imperial court must learn from the experience and lessons of the Lü Kun case. Those who seek fame and fortune should be completely blocked from promotion. From the Grand Secretariat to the Six Ministries, and then to the governors and heads of the Three Departments in various regions, these important officials must have real and tangible achievements. Otherwise, they will be typical cases of seeking empty fame and suffering real disaster.

As for Shen Shixing's governance of officials, he conducted a thorough review of all governors and high-ranking officials of the Three Departments in the Ming Dynasty. The situation was much better than Shen Shixing had expected. Only a small number of officials had similar problems. After all, the Ming Dynasty was now implementing an assessment system, and without some ability, one simply could not be promoted.

Lü Kun is also very capable, but he lacks achievements commensurate with his status.

"Having completed the screening of officials at the Three Departments and above, he is now preparing to take action against prefects. Those who hold positions without doing their jobs will not survive this grand plan." Zhu Yijun looked at Shen Shixing's memorial with a solemn expression.

Reforms must begin with governing officials; without governing officials, nothing can be accomplished. This is a historical lesson learned from Wang Anshi's reforms. Zhang Juzheng was a master at governing officials, and Shen Shixing was no less capable.

Shen Shixing, without stopping, imposed even stricter requirements on the prefectural level.

"I have some hesitation. His standards are a bit too high," Zhu Yijun said, looking at the memorial in front of him. "Every Jinshi in our Great Ming Dynasty is a dragon among men, but Shen Shixing always forgets that he is a genius among geniuses. Just because he can do it doesn't mean that others can do it."

"The requirements are a bit too high."

The specific, quantifiable standards are divided into five major categories: finance and taxation, people's livelihood, government-owned factories, transportation, and population.

“It is indeed a bit too high. The Ministry of Personnel also felt that Chief Minister Shen had never seen a fool before,” Zhang Hong tactfully expressed the Ministry of Personnel’s opinion.

Shen Shixing was the Grand Secretary, and the Ministry of Personnel dared not object to the standards he set, but that did not mean that the Ministry of Personnel had no opinions. These opinions were also sent to the emperor through a memorial.

Shen Shixing quantified his performance as governor of Songjiang Prefecture, then halved it, requiring governors at all levels to also meet the standards.

"Send it back and have him revise the examination standards. His requirements are a bit too high, just like when the Imperial Uncle demanded that the Dinghai school system require middle school students to learn the inverse operations of differentiation and integration." Zhu Yijun ultimately did not approve the standards, but instead strongly agreed with the standards proposed by the Ministry of Personnel.

The standards set by the Ministry of Personnel were actually quite high, and the Ministry also took into account the uneven development across regions.

The requirements for Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan are completely different from those for Zhejiang, Nanyang, and other places. The focus is different in each place. For example, in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan, people's livelihood is of greater importance than all other factors combined.

Shen Shixing's approach was a complete one-size-fits-all solution, which was perfectly reasonable. When it comes to governance, only a one-size-fits-all approach will work. If it's not, people will get upset, find excuses, and cause trouble.

Many problems in officialdom stem from this one-size-fits-all approach, but if officialdom isn't governed by this approach, things will only get more chaotic.

"Our Grand Secretary demands that Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan, like Songjiang Prefecture, have an annual birth rate of over 7%. He's dreaming! It would be good enough if Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan could maintain their population. The dynastic change is no joke." Zhu Yijun ultimately rejected Shen Shixing's memorial.

But holding the memorial in his hand, he asked with a smile, "Zhang Daban, have you figured anything out?"

Zhang Hong was taken aback and asked blankly, "Is there... anything that needs to be seen? I am dull-witted."

"He did it on purpose. He was in charge of wielding power and playing the bad guy, while I was the one to show leniency and benevolence. This is actually the reason why the Shenshi (3-5 PM) period had to be treated with such a one-size-fits-all approach." Zhu Yijun explained to Zhang Hong why there were two sets of standards, which were sent to the Emperor at the same time.

Zhang Juzheng's typical approach was to implement a one-size-fits-all approach to improving officialdom, but this was impossible in some places. In such cases, the emperor had to step in!

The emperor should step forward, bestow favors upon his subjects, and adjust the standards in some areas.

"Isn't this just taking the blame upon himself and the credit upon his superiors? If this goes on for a long time, won't he be constantly attacked as the Grand Secretary?" Zhang Hong frowned after hearing the Emperor's explanation. Shen Shixing's actions seemed a bit inappropriate. Once or twice would be fine, but if it happened too often, could he still maintain his position?
Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment, then felt somewhat relieved. Zhang Hong was a loyal man, and that was enough.

"He is the Grand Secretary, the head of all officials. He doesn't need to consider the opinions of the other officials; he only needs to consider the opinion of me," Zhu Yijun said with a smile. "Send a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel and have them draft another one for submission."

"Your subject understands." Zhang Hong immediately realized that the officialdom is all about superiors, because those in power must be accountable for the source of that power. Basically, all officials will choose to prioritize their duties over those of others when faced with the dilemma of 'doing things right' versus 'keeping things under control'.

Shen Shixing is now the Grand Secretary. As long as the emperor doesn't speak up, the attacks against him by the censors and officials are as solid as a mountain.

In fact, Zhu Yijun didn't make it so clear. Shen Shixing's one-size-fits-all approach and high standards and strict requirements were a necessary stance. As the head of all officials, he couldn't let the emperor feel threatened, nor could he let the ministers genuinely submit to him.

Otherwise, the emperor would sense a crisis and think that Shen Shixing was also going to follow Zhang Juzheng's example and become regent.

If certain actions cause the emperor to inexplicably associate them with the issue of regency, it will become a very thorny problem, and the knot in the emperor's heart will be impossible to untie.

After dealing with Shen Shixing's memorial, Zhu Yijun looked at a memorial in front of him. This memorial was from the censors and officials of the Censorate, concerning the imperial examinations of the eighth year of the Wanli reign. Seventeen censors and officials jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Zhang Juzheng, Wang Xilie, and Shen Yiguan for cheating in the imperial examinations.

The fact that they dared to impeach Zhang Juzheng meant it was clearly not a false accusation; these seventeen people who dared to jointly submit a memorial were practically risking their lives.

“They are all upright and outspoken people.” Zhu Yijun held the memorial in his hand, pondered for a long time, drew a circle and said: “Keep it in the archives and do not issue it. Send it to the Censorate. I already know about this matter, so there is no need to impeach it again.”

Zhang Juzheng's eldest son, Zhang Siwen, passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of the Wanli reign (1584) and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). The chief examiner was Wang Xilie, and the co-examiner was Shen Yiguan.

While grading the papers, Wang Xilie approached Shen Yiguan and said to him: "Paper number ten is in your possession. I hope you will copy it."

Shen Yiguan was shocked. Had Wang Xilie gone mad? How dare he cheat so brazenly in public and say such things? Shen Yiguan immediately asked why this No. 10 paper was being copied.

Wang Xilie immediately said: This is the son of Jiangling Gong (Zhang Juzheng), and he is Siwen.

Upon hearing this, the chief examiner and the other examiners fell silent. Whether or not Zhang Juzheng's son should be admitted to the imperial examination was now a question.

Zhang Juzheng was at the height of his power at that time, and he offended the Grand Secretary and Imperial Tutor. Even the Emperor would not protect him. However, the imperial examination was a matter of national importance for selecting officials. If this was done, then future Grand Secretaries would do the same.

The final result was that Zhang Siwen was admitted and passed the imperial examination.

This was a confidential matter during the examination of papers, but the emperor still found out about it.

Later, Zhang Siwen entered the Imperial Academy of Natural Sciences, and no one mentioned the matter again. Entering the Imperial Academy of Natural Sciences meant being outside the Five Elements and not entering officialdom. The emperor and his ministers tacitly accepted this outcome.

Politics is about compromise, but even more so about forming factions. Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng were on the same side, so of course Zhu Yijun wouldn't make things difficult for Zhang Juzheng, and the matter was left unresolved.

After so many years, the censors and officials in charge of the imperial examinations found out about it and, after confirming the evidence, impeached Zhang Juzheng, Wang Xilie, and Shen Yiguan for their illegal activities.

When Shen Jiefu, one of the examiners at the time, retired and returned to his hometown, he was chatting with his son at home when the topic came up. His son, being a blabbermouth, immediately spilled the beans, and the matter quickly came to the attention of the censors who had heard rumors about it.

"Is the sir aware of this?" Zhang Hong asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Of course, you are unaware of this. It's just that Wang Xilie and Shen Yiguan are afraid of offending the Grand Tutor and Imperial Preceptor. This matter was decided by me. If the censors keep pressing the issue, they can impeach me." For the first time in all his years as emperor, Zhu Yijun kept a memorial in the palace without issuing it or taking any action.

The list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations required the emperor's approval. Zhu Yijun certainly recognized the three large characters of Zhang Siwen's name. In the end, it was he who made the final decision and determined the number of candidates. So, just go to him.

Zhang Juzheng was both unaware and aware. He was unaware because he didn't know this had happened, but having been in officialdom for so many years, he expected this kind of thing to happen when he had his son participate in the imperial examination.

"Can't people have even a little selfishness? That's asking everyone to be a moral saint! Anyway, I can't be completely without selfishness. I even personally killed the lowly scholar Chen Youren back then." Zhu Yijun put the memorial down and said, "If you hadn't retired, they wouldn't have dared to do it. Now that you've retired, it's my turn to protect you."

"Whoever has the ability to save the Ming Dynasty from the brink of collapse can also enjoy this imperial favor. Come on, it's your turn."

If meritorious officials are not rewarded, are we going to give the reward to the rebels of the Later Yuan Dynasty?

Zhu Yijun's silence on the matter was a clear message: "I've done it, what can you do about it?"
"Will any censors or officials come to question us?" Zhang Hong asked with some concern.

"Then bring it here! Bring me the book I prepared earlier, 'Record of the Merits of the Reform Movement.' I want to list all of your achievements one by one. If you can accomplish even one of them, no, even just half of one, I will reward you with a hereditary Jinshi degree!"

Zhu Yijun said indignantly, "This is the real disaster of pursuing a reputation for integrity while placing the loyal and virtuous in an unjust position."

Zhu Yijun was a man of his word. If he could accomplish even half a task, he would invent the hereditary Jinshi position, ensuring his family's perpetual succession.

The Grand Stage of the Ming Dynasty: If you have talent, come and join us!
(End of this chapter)