I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 264 Xu Jie and Zhang Juzheng, the teacher and student
"Master, we are at your house."

The voice came from outside the curtain of the sedan chair, waking up Zhang Juzheng who was sitting in deep thought.

"So fast."

Zhang Juzheng emerged from the raised curtain of the sedan chair and turned to the steward and said, "Send someone to invite Pan Siming, Yu Bingzhong, Zeng Sanxing, and Wang Ruwen to come to my house immediately. I want to discuss something with you."

"Yes."

Zhang Juzheng went straight back to the backyard, where his concubines and maids came forward to take him and helped him change out of his official uniform and hat and put on a sky blue Taoist robe.

This kind of Taoist robe is a modified one, which is very different from the Taoist robes of serious Taoists and Taoist enthusiasts such as Emperor Jiajing. It is one of the casual clothes that scholars and officials usually like to wear.

Then he put on the Pingding Square Scarf, took the ginseng tea handed to him by the concubine, and drank a few sips.

A servant outside the door reported: "Master, the eldest and second young masters just came back from Yi Nian Tang. They heard that you have returned home, so they came to pay their respects."

Zhang Juzheng put down his teacup and said, "I just want to ask them about their homework. Call them over."

After saying this, he waved his hand, and the concubines and maids bowed and all left.

Two young boys, about fourteen or fifteen years old, were led by servants into the inner room. They were Zhang Juzheng's eldest and second sons, Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu.

"The son greets his father!"

Zhang Juzheng sat on a chair and waited for the two men to finish their respectful greetings. He stroked his beard and said, "Stand up. Both of you sit down. Between us father and son, we have fulfilled the filial piety and there is no need for so many red tapes."

"Yes, father."

"Did you go to Yi Nian Tang today?"

"Yes, father. I will follow your orders and go to Yiniantang every day to listen to Mr. Zhuo Wu's lectures." Zhang Jingxiu replied.

"What class did Mr. Zhuo Wu have today?"

"In reply to my father's words, Mr. Zhuo Wu mentioned today, 'Nowadays, scholars and officials study to get high grades and hold office to seek honor and fame. They are selfish and do not even think about others.'"

Zhang Jingxiu looked at Zhang Juzheng and found that his father's face did not change, so he continued: "Mr. Zhuo Wu also said, 'How many famous scholars nowadays are called hermits, but their hearts are like merchants, they talk about morality, but their ambitions are to steal. They originally want wealth and honor, but they pretend to be unwilling, but in fact they want to use this as a ladder to honor themselves, and they also use morality and righteousness to cover themselves up.'"

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and asked calmly, "Big brother, second brother, what do you think after listening to Mr. Zhuo Wu's lecture?"

Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu looked at each other and answered hesitantly, "Father, we sons feel that Mr. Zhuo Wu's words are too shocking and very different from what other knowledgeable gentlemen say."

Zhang Juzheng nodded, "That's right. It is precisely because of the shocking and unconventional ideas that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince only allowed Mr. Zhuo Wu's knowledge to be taught in Yi Nian Tang, in the Chuan Xi Ban, and in the Xiangshan Academy and Longhua Academy established by the Southeast Sea Merchants.

It is your honor to listen to Mr. Zhuo Wu’s lectures in person.”

Zhang Jingxiu mustered up the courage to ask, "Father, I don't understand."

"If you don't understand, just ask. That's good." Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and nodded. "Do you know why Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism is now the orthodox Confucianism of the Ming Dynasty?"

"My son doesn't know."

"It was because Emperor Taizu liked it and thought it was good that he made it part of the imperial examination. As a result, scholars all over the world studied Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and regarded it as the right path.

Hundreds of years have passed, and the ideas of the former Song Dynasty during its difficult times are no longer suitable for our glorious Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu's faces changed.

Zhang Juzheng saw this and smiled faintly: "You are my sons. In this world, the only two people who will not frame each other are probably father and son.

There are some things that I will only tell you. I will not admit them once we leave this room. If you tell others, I will just scold you for talking nonsense and exaggerating!"

Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu understood the meaning of his words and quickly replied, "Son, please listen carefully to your teachings, father. I will keep them in mind and will never tell anyone else."

"My father was determined to reform and eliminate corruption, turn the tide, and revive the Ming Dynasty. He traveled to various places and saw that the rich had land but did not pay taxes, while the poor were burdened with taxes and fled because of poverty, so the tax was reduced. He was determined to rectify the situation, but was repeatedly frustrated.

Previously, I thought that the root cause was the administration of officials. If the administration of officials was not correct, the new law would be difficult to implement. Later, I realized that the administration of officials was only the appearance, and the ideology was the root cause. "Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu were shocked, but they did not understand what it meant.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, "According to what the Crown Prince said, just as appearance is determined by the heart, thought is the root of what a person or a group says and does. For celebrities, thought is the foundation of academic studies; for officials, thought is the concept of governance.

If the thoughts are not right and the ideas are not correct, no matter how much the officials are corrected, it will only be a temporary solution. Only by clearing up the root cause can we achieve long-term stability. "

Zhang Jingxiu understood what he meant, "Father, does His Royal Highness want to abolish Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism?"

"Your Highness is right to keep pace with the times. From Dong Zhongshu's emphasis on Confucianism, to the Eastern Han Dynasty's prophecy and divination, to the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism of the pre-Song Dynasty, the scriptures and annotations you have read are far from what Confucius said in the pre-Zhou Dynasty.

Emperor Taizu drove the barbarians north and recovered China, with stability and recovery as the top priority, so Emperor Taizu chose Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, which used stillness to overcome movement. Now the Ming Dynasty is riddled with holes and crises, and needs reform and elimination of malpractices, so where should it start?

It must come from new thinking!"

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the two men who were dizzy after hearing what he heard, and continued, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand now, you will understand it in the future. Remember this: those who can become officials in the future will no longer rely on Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but Yangming's School of Mind and Li Zhi's New Learning."

Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Sixiu were shocked and began to understand their father's good intentions. They immediately bowed and said, "Sons, we understand. We will remember your teachings and study hard."

"Good!" Zhang Juzheng said with relief.

The servant outside the door announced: "Master, Mr. Pan, Mr. Zeng, Mr. Yu and Mr. Wang are here."

"Okay, please come in!"
-
At Xu Jie's house, Xu Jie had his eyes slightly closed, looking tired.

His younger brother Xu Zhi, who was sitting next to him, said with concern: "Brother, you are so exhausted physically and mentally, why don't you retire as soon as possible."

Xu Jie opened his eyes and gave Xu Zhi a fierce look. Then his face relaxed and he looked helpless. "Ziming, I have wanted to withdraw for a long time, but unfortunately I cannot!"

Zhao Jin, who was sitting at the bottom, said, "Shao Hu Gong cannot retreat. Now is a time of great trouble. If he retreats, he may be defeated. Gao Xinzheng is a man who will not show mercy to others when he is in power."

Dong Chuanze also echoed, "What Yuan Pu said is correct. In the case of Cai Guoxi, dozens of upright officials from the Censorate, the Five Temples, and the Hanlin Academy submitted memorials directly pointing the finger at Shao Hu Gong.

There must be Gao Xinzheng behind these people, they are so aggressive and have big plans.”

Xu Zhi complained: "What does Gao Xinzheng want to do? If he overthrows his brother, can he become the Prime Minister?"

Xu Jie stroked his beard and said, "What does he want to do?
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince used the carrot of joining the cabinet to dangle him and drive him around at will. This time, Gao Suqing took the lead and rushed to the front, pushing me down. Regardless of whether he can become the Prime Minister or not, he can be added to the cabinet.

It’s just that the man in Xiyuan is unpredictable, and now even I don’t know how he will deal with it.”

Xu Zhi said puzzledly: "How should we deal with it? It's very simple. Either we don't support Gao Xinzheng and defeat you, brother, or we don't support you and suppress Gao Xinzheng."

Xu Jie glanced at him and said, "You have been in Nanjing for too long. From now on, you should stay out of government affairs and continue to collect medical prescriptions with the imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital, and continue to improve the "Newly Tested Simple Prescriptions" that you are working on."

Xu Zhi was stunned, "Brother, did I say something wrong?"

"There is no such thing as black or white in this world. When investigating the Gengxu Incident, thousands of people were killed, but the Jin Party still retained a number of key members, including Yang Weiyue, Gao Suqing, Wang Xuefu (Wang Chonggu), and Huo Yaofeng (Huo Ji).

Why? Party struggles are not just about pride. Your Highness is best at attacking one faction and pulling another. Now the Jiangnan Party is strong, the Jin Party and Jiangxi Party are weak, and the Chu Party and Lu Party have not risen. Your Highness will not suppress us with all his strength. "

After hearing what Xu Jie said, Xu Zhi became even more confused. "Isn't there still the prince's party headed by Hu Ruzhen? They are at the peak of their powers and are invincible in the court!"

Xu Jie held the armrests of the chair with both hands. "It is precisely because they are at the peak of their powers. If we are suppressed, they will have no checks and balances in the court. By then, they will be full of arrogance and their power will almost shock the emperor. Will Your Highness allow this to happen?"

The room was silent for a while, and then Xu Zhi slowly shook his head and sighed: "I don't understand, I really don't understand."

"It's better if they don't understand. If they do, we'll be in trouble." Xu Jie continued, "In fact, Hu Ruzhen, Zhang Shuda and others are not the crown prince's confidants. They are just closer to His Highness than I and Gao Xinzheng."

Xu Zhi asked curiously, "Who is the prince's confidant?"

Xu Jie didn't say anything.

Zhao Jin and Dong Chuanze looked at each other and remained silent.

(End of this chapter)