Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 197: Who is this person?

"I asked Wang Chonggu to express his position because of our seven-year friendship, not because I want anything from him. Regardless of whether he is willing to take the lead or not, I have to take action on the Ministry of War. The position of Minister of War can no longer be left to Shi Maohua." Zhu Yijun said as he signaled to his attendants to give Wang Xijue and Wang Zongyi seats.

After the emperor and his entourage toured Wen'an, Bazhou and Wen'an County, they were about to head back.

Three hundred miles is far enough. It doesn't matter whether you visit places like Dacheng County or not. As for places like Zhuozhou and Jizhou, there are risks of studying abroad, so it's better not to be too frivolous.

So, more than 20 days after leaving Beijing, the emperor and his entourage passed through Anxin and Wangqingtuo and boarded a dragon boat from Wuqing Yangcun Posthouse to Xianghe County, Tongzhou.

After arriving in Xianghe County, he went along Tongzhou and toured the capital.

Half a day after being on board, perhaps because the emperor had rested enough, he called the Minister of Personnel Wang Xijue and the Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi to his room for a small meeting.

"Your Majesty, Minister Shi may not be involved in this matter. Is it too early to discuss removing Minister Shi now?" Wang Zongyi thought for a moment and expressed his opinion.

Ever since the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony in the Southern Suburbs, the emperor has become increasingly powerful, and now before the matter has been concluded, he has already decided to depose the Minister of War Shi Maohua.

Wang Zongyi did not mind the emperor's power to take whatever he wanted from the nine ministers, as this was the emperor's power and authority.

But it’s better not to do anything morally wrong.

Wang Xijue sat opposite Wang Zongyi, his butt next to the short stump, and interrupted him, "I think the Grand Master is wrong. Even if Shi Maohua was not involved, he must have been guilty of negligence. There is nothing wrong with ordering him to stay at home."

When Wang Zongyi heard this, he did not agree in his heart.

Oversight is a basket that can hold anyone. If this is the case, then did Wang Chonggu, who was above Shi Maohua, also fail to oversight? Did Zhang Juzheng, who was the chief minister of the cabinet at the time, also fail to oversight?

But he also knew what the emperor meant, and since Wang Xijue had said this, there was no need to argue any further - the crime of negligence was at least justifiable on the surface and was barely enough.

Zhu Yijun reviewed the memorials sent from the capital, opening and closing them one by one.

After hearing the two officials were speechless for a while, he turned around and said without even looking up: "Even if it is due to his old age and illness, Shi Maohua should retire. There is no need to discuss this matter. Let's talk about the candidate for the Minister of War."

The military power of the Ming court was divided into two parts.

The first is the Five Military Commanders' Office, which has the power to command troops but not the power to mobilize them; the second is the Ministry of War, which has the power to mobilize troops but not the power to command them.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the commanders-in-chief of the Five Military Commanderies were often able to suppress the Ministry of War. The Grand Commander Li Wenzhong during the Hongwu period and Zhang Fu from the Yongle to the Hongxi period had all fought together with the emperor to conquer the world. Naturally, the Ministry of War could not suppress the great heroes who had conquered the world.

But the situation suddenly reversed after the Battle of Tumu, and the Ministry of War suddenly surpassed the Five Military Commanderies.

An overview of the original powers of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commanderies.

Military decision-making, combat strategies, weapons manufacturing, promotion of military generals, troop mobilization, national defense... and so on.

Even the power to command troops, which was the most taboo at the beginning, could be exercised by a group of governors, admirals, generals, prime ministers, general managers, and governors-general with the title of Ministry of War.

The power of the Ministry of War can be seen from the struggle over the Beijing Camp that has lasted from the Jiajing period to the present. Gu Huan was in charge of the Beijing Camp several times and was dismissed several times, which is a perfect epitome of this.

It is precisely because the Ministry of War has become increasingly powerful over the past hundred years that Zhu Yijun has never interfered in any drastic way since he ascended the throne.

Instead, he started from the Beijing camp and targeted the governors of the nine border areas, and has been encroaching on them until now.

He originally planned to wait for a year or two until Shangshu Shi Maohua, Shilang Luo Fengxiang and others died, and then naturally take it into his hands.

But now that I have found an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, I will just go with it.

Therefore, no matter whether Wang Chonggu accepts the job or not, and no matter whether Shi Maohua really has a problem or not, he will eventually use this as an excuse to cause trouble after returning to Beijing.

Isn't the New Year's Day military parade the perfect side dish for intervening in the Ministry of War?
By then, the military power of 600,000 soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will be truly in his hands. Only then will he have the confidence to rule over the country, the power to decide life and death, and be qualified to be on par with Taizu and Taizong.

Wang Xijue had no idea that the emperor was daydreaming again. He only heard the emperor talking about selecting the Minister of War and felt that he should be the first to submit the request.

He thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, how is Ling Yunyi, the governor of Guangdong?"

Ling Yunyi made great contributions in Guangdong.

In November of the fourth year of the Wanli reign, he led an army of 100,000 to quell the rebellion of the Yao people. In the same way as he pacified the Yao people in Luopangshan, he established Luoding Prefecture, which was directly under the jurisdiction of Guangdong.

For his great achievements in reforming the natives and consolidating the territory, his promotion to the position of an official in the Ministry of War was a natural outcome.

As for the fact that Ling Yunyi is from the same hometown as Taicang... when selecting talented people, one should not avoid those who are from the same hometown.

Before the emperor could answer, the Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi shook his head first: "Not appropriate, Ling Yunyi has killed too many people in Guangdong and has a reputation for being violent and wanton."

Perhaps Ling Yunyi's fault cannot be blamed for this. After all, at that time, "the Yao people revolted, killed officials and looted land, and six out of the ten prefectures in Guangdong were destroyed." The rebellion was so powerful, and Ling Yunyi killed people ruthlessly to put it out immediately, which actually demonstrated his talent.

But being an official is often not just about right or wrong.

Since Ling Yunyi has a reputation for brutality and cruelty, once he takes charge of the Ministry of War, he will inevitably be criticized by scholars, disturbed by officials, and even accused of being detrimental to uniting the ethnic minorities.

If you can do less, why bother yourself with troubles?

Wang Xijue hesitated to speak.

He wanted to say something fair to Ling Yunyi, but after thinking about it, he sighed and said no more.

Zhu Yijun, who was reviewing memorials, finished reviewing the last one at hand and put it next to the desk.

He looked up and glanced at the two of them, his eyes fell on Wang Zongyi, and asked, "Does the Grand Master have a suitable candidate?"

Logically speaking, the Ministry of Personnel should have come up with candidates for this kind of matter, and then put it up for discussion in court, only then would the Ministry of Rites have room to speak.

However, the positions of the Nine Ministers are of great importance, so naturally they have to reach a consensus in private first. Otherwise, if it cannot be passed unanimously in the court, it will appear that this team of court officials is not harmonious enough.

Wang Zongyi pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I think Li Zaiting, the governor of Fujian, is suitable."

Li Zaiting was promoted from provincial governor to governor-general because of his contribution in suppressing the mutiny.

Three years ago, Wu Shanyan, the governor and chief censor of Fujian, felt that the soldiers' pay was too high, so he submitted a petition to cut it by one third.

Before the central government received the memorial, a mutiny had already broken out in Fujian - soldiers Ma Wenying, Liu Tingyong and others led thousands of fully armed men to the governor's office to appeal to Wu Shanyan for the issue of military pay.

Wu Shanyan was too lazy to explain this, and without waiting for the central government's approval, he took the initiative to tell the soldiers, "The salary reduction has been decided. Those who don't want to serve in the army can go home and farm."

The result is obvious.

Thousands of people poured into the governor's office, and the lobby was smashed to pieces. Governor Wu Shanyan failed to escape and was captured and beaten, leaving him on the verge of death.

If Li Zaiting from the neighboring provincial government office had not rushed there upon hearing the news, made a quick decision and appeased the situation, Governor Wu would have died if he had been sent to a doctor a step later. By then, the thousands of soldiers involved in the incident had killed the governor, and the rebellion would have forced him to do so even if he did not want to.

Afterwards, Wu Shanyan, who was paralyzed on one side of his body, was forced to rest, and Li Zaiting took over as the governor and deputy censor of Fujian.

In addition, during the three years when Li Zaiting was promoted to governor, he and General Yu Dayou suppressed the minority groups and converted them to Han Chinese, cleared out the Japanese pirates hiding on the islands, and captured and killed the local tyrants who had collusion with the Japanese. Years ago, he was awarded the title of Deputy Chief Censor and Minister of War for his merits.

Although it is a little too fast for him to take charge of the Ministry of War now, it can be said to be a natural outcome.

Wang Xijue thought about it, went over Li Zaiting’s resume in his mind, and nodded slightly.

The two of them looked at the emperor at the same time.

Unfortunately, the proposal that both of them agreed to was rejected by the emperor. Zhu Yijun slowly stood up and said, "The Fujian Maritime Customs Office has just made a final move. It is not time for Li Zaiting to return to Beijing yet."

The emperor stood up, and the two of them naturally stood up as well.

Wang Zongyi walked behind the emperor and said respectfully, "I dare to ask, who is your majesty's favorite?"

Although he said he was daring, he actually had a clear conscience when asking, because the emperor would really discuss things with people like them - this was also what moved him the most after he became one of the Nine Ministers.

Zhu Yijun walked to the window of the room and looked at the scenery along the river from the boat.

"Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi Yin Zhengmao is already on his way to Beijing. What do you think of him?"

Yin Zhengmao was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing, on the same list as Zhang Juzheng. He was born in She County, Huizhou Prefecture, and was a fellow townsman of Xu Guo.

In terms of merit, he could be said to have "the greatest contribution in pacifying Guangdong and Guangxi"; in terms of political spectrum, he was successively valued by Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, and was a staunch member of the New Party; in terms of civil administration, in addition to his extraordinary performance in military affairs, he also demonstrated outstanding talents in coin minting and salt conversion, and could be said to be both civil and military.

Wang Xijue thought for a moment and nodded slowly: "Duke Yin is a man of integrity and merit, and he is suitable to be in charge of the Ministry of War."

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Wang Zongyi beside him.

Zhu Yijun also turned his head and looked at Wang Zongyi.

However, Wang Zongyi looked unnatural, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Both of them knew that Wang Zongyi and Yin Zhengmao had some grudges, so they didn't think it was strange.

Around the 27th year of Jiajing, Yin Zhengmao was the Censor of the Military Department, and Wang Zongyi was the Doctor of the Ministry of War.

They were just ordinary colleagues, but unfortunately there was a coincidence that Yin Zhengmao's eldest son was named Yin Zongyi.

That's fine, it's just that we thought of the same name, and everyone is just trying to be careful.

But Yin Zhengmao didn't understand the ways of the world and admired Wang Zongyi. In order to make friends with him, he would joke around all day, talking about his eldest son, "my son Zongyi, my son Zongyi", in an attempt to attract attention - just like a primary school student pretending to accidentally step on a beautiful girl's foot.

Shangshu Wang was a conservative scholar who could not stand this. When he could no longer tolerate it, he directly scolded Yin Zhengmao in his office, submitted an impeachment memorial, and wrote a letter to argue for the case, using a full range of services.

Yin Zhengmao was a stubborn person and refused to admit his mistakes. The seeds of grudge and estrangement between the two were sown at this time.

Seeing that the emperor and the Minister of Personnel were both quietly waiting for his opinion, Wang Zongyi turned away and whispered, "Your Majesty, Yin Zhengmao is a scholar from all over the world and should be admitted to the Ministry of War."

It’s a good thing to celebrate festivals, but don’t let trivial matters affect your judgment on important matters.

Zhu Yijun nodded slightly when he heard this, and then looked at Wang Xijue: "After returning to Beijing, please discuss the issue as soon as possible."

Although Wang Xijue was parachuted in, it would be natural for him to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel next.

After all, half of the current officials in the Ministry of Personnel are the team left by Shen Shixing in the past seven years, and the two of them are in the same boat, so the team will surely be digested quickly - historically, Wang Xijue was not allowed to get close to the censors, so Shen Shixing lent his own disciples and censors to Wang Xijue for use, and it is not an exaggeration to call the two of them political conjoined twins.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xijue bowed and responded.

Having said this, Zhu Yijun did not end the conversation.

Instead, he turned and walked out of the room, inviting her: "Come on, follow me out for some fresh air."

Wang Xijue and Wang Zongyi naturally did not say anything and followed the emperor silently.

After waving away the eunuchs and guards who intended to follow him, Zhu Yijun led the two men out of the room and walked down from the three-story boat.

At this time of year, heavy snow has begun to fall from the sky.

This was the last half-winter month for sailing in Shuntian Prefecture in the seventh year of the Wanli reign. It was even colder in the twelfth month and sailing was no longer possible.

Pedestrians on both sides of the river were wrapped in thick clothes and hurried along. From time to time, people who loved to join in the fun would gather on the shore to look at the dragon boats on the river.

From time to time, floating ice can be seen passing by on the river. I wonder if it is the result of the sailors in the river removing the ice.

In front of the dragon boat, there is a companion boat leading the way, which is used to drive away civilian ships and clear floating ice.

Zhu Yijun stepped down from the ship, and said with a complicated expression: "If you don't leave the palace, how can you see these poor people?"

The two men looked down at the ship and naturally understood what the emperor meant.

Not only are there sailors breaking the ice and clearing the way on the riverbed, but when passing upstream, there are also trackers pulling the boats in the biting cold wind.

Wang Zongyi replied from the bottom of his heart: "Your Majesty is benevolent."

At least in his opinion, the emperor was a benevolent person who combined knowledge and action.

But Zhu Yijun did not accept the compliment and laughed at himself: "I just moved my lips, but in the end I still spent the people's money in bed. I can only be considered to have a good conscience, but not benevolence. It's far from it."

He didn't say who he was far behind. The two people behind him didn't know how to respond and fell silent.

After walking onto the deck, Zhu Yijun took out a memorial from his sleeve.

He turned around and handed the memorial to Wang Zongyi: "Mr. Wang, when Ma Ziqiang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Rites, left Beijing, he sent me his last memorial about the arrangements for the imperial examination. Please give me some advice."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zongyi was filled with awe.

As the former Minister of Rites, his time is running out and it is even unclear whether he can survive this year. It is truly touching that he was still concerned about the country before he left.

With great respect, Wang Zongyi reached out and reverently took the memorial handed over by the emperor.

I was stunned when I saw the cover. The title read: "Welcoming the New Direction of the Imperial Examination Work"

As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together." The ministers of the cabinet and the six ministries and nine officials who were close to the emperor used more and more such strange yet precise wording in their writings.

He sighed, then collected his thoughts and opened the memorial to read.

Wang Zongyi is old now, and he can no longer read ten lines at a glance like he did when he was young - his brain can barely keep up, but his eyes can't keep up at all.

Of course, there are advantages to watching slowly. At least it makes the process of his expression changing more obvious.

After a long while, the image finally settled into a furrowed brow, a stiff expression, and a weird look.

Wang Zongyi slowly closed the memorial, looked at the emperor and replied in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being blunt, but what Lord Ma said was a bit too frivolous."

"The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents. If we add some low-level stuff like math, logic and causality into it, I'm afraid it would go against the way of the saints."

The lowest nine classes are still better than being completely inferior, and Wang Zongyi does not completely deny these things.

But if it is applied to the imperial examination, it would be somewhat inappropriate.

The memorial submitted by Ma Ziqiang shows that he is really terminally ill and has lost his mind. It is really regrettable.

Zhu Yijun glanced at the old-fashioned old man.

This is what a capable official has to face when he reaches the position of one of the Nine Ministers - everyone has his or her own ideas and will not easily become a yes-man.

In response, Zhu Yijun could only explain in a gentle voice: "Grand Master, although that is true, what Mr. Ma said is not without reason."

"The imperial examination is to select talents for the country, but it is also to select saints for the country. In addition to personal conduct and integrity, it also needs to be considered for the governance of the country."

"The two can go hand in hand, and only when you have both can you be a good official."

Wang Zongyi's expression did not change much when he heard this. He shook his head and refuted: "Your Majesty, this is indeed a wise and insightful statement, but I am afraid that things like mathematics, logic and cause and effect are of no benefit to governing a country."

The emperor's hobbies, which are now well known to everyone, are fishing, debating, and mathematics.

Wang Zongyi was not surprised by the emperor's attitude, but he still insisted.

Zhu Yijun heard this, sighed, and advised from the bottom of his heart: "If you have it, there will be no benefit, but if you don't have it, the harm will be obvious."

"In the early years, many prefecture officials made mistakes in calculating the amount of taxes when collecting them. Now, when we are measuring the land and clearing the households, many county magistrates and prefectural governors do not even have the ability to check the amount. They are confused and deceived by their subordinates. This is the harm of not knowing how to calculate."

"The logic is the same. Just like when Wu Shanyan was exiled for the Fujian mutiny, he continued to speak shamelessly at home. The soldiers' opposition showed that he was right. His broken legs were proof that he touched upon the current problems."

"Not to mention the ridiculous Hu Runing and Tan Yushi who ignored the facts. They are all stupid and unaware of it. It's really disgusting."

The emperor spoke with a sincere expression and tone, and patiently explained to Wang Zongyi.

Wang Zongyi seemed to have heard it as well. He stood there with his expression changing, looking as if he was lost in thought.

Wang Xijue stepped aside and watched coldly, with no intention of getting involved in the matter.

He understood it more clearly than Wang Zongyi. What did Ma Ziqiang mean by submitting a memorial? This was clearly the emperor's own intention.

Before the situation became clear, or in other words, when it came to the court discussion, he did not want to express his opinion easily.

After a while.

Wang Zongyi, who was in deep thought, finally came to his senses.

Facing the emperor's expectant gaze, Wang Zongyi paused for a moment, but still shook his head firmly.

Ignoring the emperor's regretful look, he bowed to the emperor and said seriously: "Your Majesty, what you said is reasonable, but... the official schools in each province have already taught mathematics. I think that a rough understanding of these basics is enough for governing the country."

"The classics of selecting scholars is the foundation of the country and cannot be shaken. There should be no increase or decrease in the ranking. I hope Your Majesty will understand clearly what is more important."

Wang Zongyi has served as an official at the grassroots and central levels for so many years that even if he does not know the reasons, he can understand them based on his experience.

Once the quality of mathematics affects the ranking in the imperial examination, it is inevitable that there will be people who are proficient in mathematics and have a general understanding of classics. If this continues, it will be hard to say which is better, classics or mathematics.

Zhu Yijun hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then nodded heavily: "Mr. Wang is right."

"Then let's do as Mr. Wang said!"

"Add a supplementary paper to the mathematics taught in the official school, and add another test. Only mathematics will be used to eliminate candidates, but the ranking of the Jinshi will not be increased or decreased."

He paused and said, "Let's forget about the exam after the spring. Let's start with the Jinshi exam in the 11th year of the Wanli reign."

Mathematics is an elective subject in the official schools of each state. It would not take too long to slightly improve its status and make people start studying from scratch.

As for logic, it will be time to add the supplementary paper after at least two more subjects and the textbooks and teachers are complete.

Of course, the same thing applies. No matter how difficult it may be to change later, start by changing it slowly and do as much as you can.

Wang Zongyi was stunned when he heard what the emperor said.

He suddenly realized that the emperor had misunderstood.

What he meant was that mathematics, logic, etc. were sufficient elective courses and did not need to be included in the exams.

But the emperor only held the statement that the ranking would not increase or decrease, and wanted to use numbers to screen people. Well... if it is only used as a lower-level threshold, it seems that the ranking will not increase or decrease.

Wang Zongyi thought about it and felt a little confused.

I just feel increasingly unclear about the subsequent impact of the emperor's words.

Before he could think clearly, the emperor spoke again.

"Mr. Wang is indeed thoughtful. Mathematics courses are offered in the provincial schools. If someone is dismissed because of the supplementary paper, it means that his learning attitude is not good and he does not listen to the lectures carefully. His moral character must not be good either."

Wang Zongyi had originally come up with an idea and was about to speak, but upon hearing this, he hesitated for a moment and swallowed the words back.

I have to say, if the difficulty was only that of a provincial school professor, then the emperor was not wrong.

The mathematics taught in the official school was extremely simple. When he was studying at the Huguang Provincial School, he only had to be slightly distracted for a year to complete the mathematics course.

Normally, at least 80% of candidates will not be stuck at this hurdle.

This proportion is no different from just for show.

Of course, if one is rejected for calculations of this difficulty, then he is either stupid or evil - in Shilin, having an improper attitude towards learning is a kind of moral corruption.

Wang Zongyi wavered. This time he did not refuse outright. He just said reluctantly, "Your Majesty, please allow me to go back to the Ministry of Rites to discuss this."

Whether to change or how to change is not something that can be solved just by talking.

This kind of major policy, which involves the fundamental interests of the country, will take at least half a year to discuss before a result can be reached.

Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction: "Think about it first, and then go back to the Ministry of Rites to discuss a proposal."

"Although it is too late for this exam, we may be able to add a math exam for the next April's exam for the Imperial College clerks."

He didn't need mathematicians to take the imperial examination. It was enough to use elementary school mathematics and basic logic to screen out those who had no rational thinking at all.

Of course, the key lies in improving the social status of mathematics and logic. To this end, even if the Ministry of Rites lowered the threshold to the lowest in the first year and only gave some addition, subtraction, multiplication and division questions for everyone to pass, Zhu Yijun could accept it.

Once you pass the imperial examination, your status will gradually rise. Even if you don't become mainstream, it's enough to be raised to the secondary mainstream position.

Of course, in the process, it is probably inevitable that local governments will fabricate some new auspicious signs, such as a private school student who failed the exam suddenly realized something overnight and jumped to the twelfth place in the Ming Dynasty mathematics community.

As Zhu Yijun thought about it, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

Although they didn't know what the emperor was laughing at, Wang Zongyi and Wang Xijue looked at each other and laughed dryly along.

Just as he was forcing a grin, Wang Zongyi suddenly noticed that Wang Xijue and the emperor's expressions froze, and his smile came to an abrupt end.

Wang Zongyi didn't understand.

"Your Majesty, is there something wrong..."

Before he could finish his words, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something on the riverbank, and he seemed to see something, so his questioning also came to an abrupt end.

The vision that had been blurred due to old age gradually became clear.

There is a deserted country road on the shore.

A piece of rough cloth was pulled open, and several scholars stood on the embankment, holding one end of the cloth on the left and right, waving it vigorously to attract attention to the dragon boat.

I saw a line of large characters on the coarse cloth moving with the wind - Only the imperial estates were occupied without measure, and only the emperor's relatives hid in the houses without clearing them. Oh, God, who is this person! ?
(End of this chapter)