Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 24 I Won't Do It!

Chapter 24 I Won't Do It! (Long Chapter)
On the white marble steps of Huangji Gate, Zhang Juzheng's scarlet official robe fluttered in the wind.

He stopped and slowly turned his head to look at Shen Shixing, who was ten years younger than him but still looked immature.

He spoke in a low voice, his expression complex.

"Ru Mo, do you know why people are born?"

Shen Shixing was somewhat bewildered. Where did the Emperor's Mansion come from?

But he still answered truthfully: "It is nothing more than serving the country and the emperor, ensuring the stability of the state and comforting the people."

Zhang Juzheng smiled and shook his head: "This is not the imperial examination."

Suddenly, Shen Shixing felt the pressure. The Emperor was implying that his answer was too moderate and mild.

He looked conflicted, but in the end he still cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"This student is dull-witted and humbly requests your guidance."

Zhang Juzheng chuckled: "It's all about profit. The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit. If there is profit, enemies can become brothers, and brothers can become enemies."

Shen Shixing widened his eyes, as if he had some understanding, and nodded.

“Your Excellency’s words are insightful and perceptive.”

Suddenly, Shen Shixing understood Zhang Juzheng's deeper meaning; Zhang was using this to enlighten him.

But Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "These are not my words, but those of my son Zhang Shiyuan."

"Your son?"

Shen Shixing was somewhat surprised; the En family's opinion of this youngest son had fluctuated greatly.

He was previously shouting for his son's death and calling him a rebellious son, but now he's calling him a worthless son?

He thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Your son is very talented, what a pity."

"Unfortunately, it's not the right path."

Zhang Juzheng sighed, then narrowed his eyes and said.

Is it finished?

As if he understood something, Shen Shixing was no longer confused and nodded.

"Of course."

"Ah."

Zhang Juzheng nodded, patted the student on the shoulder, turned and left, leaving behind a single sentence.

"The sky won't fall down."

It’s the hour of Mao.

After the emperor ascended the throne, the morning court session finally began.

At this moment, outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a great Han general, holding a golden mace, stood on the steps, while the official in charge of whipping the Ministry of Rites brandished his whip, cracking the air three times.

Feng Bao, the Grand Master of Ceremonial, pierced the morning mist with his shrill voice.

"His Majesty is holding court—"

The officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

The young emperor, still half-asleep, had to pretend to be wide awake as he spoke.

"All the ministers are in uniform, supervising the ceremony and singing the inscription."

Feng Bao then opened the question book and spoke in a melodious voice.

"The Governor of Yunnan, Rao Renkan, reported on the matter of abolishing the hereditary chieftain system and replacing it with direct imperial administration. The chieftains of Wumeng, Dongchuan, and Mangbu have hereditary titles that have not been replaced. They each possess their own armies, arbitrarily levy taxes, and some have even violated the established rites by privately forging gold seals."

The problem of the chieftains in Guangxi has not yet been resolved, but the chieftains in Yunnan are already starting to stir.

Although there were constant fluctuations in the southwestern border region, it was ultimately not a major issue. After the memorial was read aloud, there was a brief discussion in the court, but nothing was resolved.

As Minister of War Fang Fengshi said, "This is a long-term plan for the country, and we should not rush to achieve it. We should take a long-term approach and work slowly."

Regarding the Tusi (chieftains), the officials in the court and Emperor Wanli had already set the tone, so there was no need for further discussion.

"If you have something to report, please report it. If not, please leave the court."

Feng Bao had barely finished speaking.

"Wait a minute!"

Another person stepped out from the ranks of officials.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was none other than Wei Yunzhen, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
Emperor Wanli, seated on his throne, frowned, feeling a headache coming on.

But then Wei Yunzhen spoke loudly in the hall: "I hereby impeach Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng again for allowing his son to publish false newspapers, make irresponsible remarks about the government, fabricate historical facts, and sow discord among the people. Such frivolous and destructive writings are being read by the ignorant masses in the marketplace. If this continues..."

Impeaching Zhang Juzheng again, and Zhang Yunxiu again?
Emperor Wanli felt somewhat frantic. These censors were like leeches, clinging to something and refusing to let go, leaving even him with no way to deal with them.

He glanced at Zhang Juzheng, and seeing that the latter did not express his opinion, he spoke in emotionless words.

"This matter has already been discussed; let's not bring it up again."

The emperor's resistance was obvious, but Wei Yunzhen seemed completely oblivious and continued speaking.

"Your Majesty, I have recently heard that Zhang Shiyuan is a wicked man who dared to collude with palace eunuchs to send obscene and thieving books from the common people into the palace!"

Such obscene and thieving works are the vulgar words of commoners; how could they possibly enter the palace?
Although Your Majesty is wise and sagacious, you have been deceived by treacherous and wicked men.

Zhang Shiyuan harbors evil intentions and uses wicked things to bewitch Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty favor virtuous ministers and distance yourself from treacherous officials, and remove the wicked to rectify the court!
A thorough investigation is needed of Zhang Juzheng and his son Zhang Shiyuan!

These words immediately caused an uproar among the officials in the hall.

Wei Yunzhen is incredibly audacious. What difference is there between what she said and publicly saying that the emperor is incompetent?
But precisely in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor really had no way to deal with these censors.

You beat him to death with a cane? That's the kind of integrity they pursued, the kind of fame they sought to be remembered in history.

A century later, the official who was beaten to death became a legend, while the emperor was branded a tyrant.

The fact that the Jiajing Emperor, the grandfather of the Wanli Emperor, caused such a great uproar with the "Great Rites Controversy" is a clear example of this.

Hai Rui dared to directly criticize the emperor, and has now become a spiritual totem for the upright officials. He is still living a good life in his hometown.

The censors really weren't afraid.

That's the Ming Dynasty. If it were the Qing Dynasty with queues a few decades later, would you still want your head?

At this moment, Emperor Wanli was truly angry. His round, chubby face turned bright red, making him look like a braised pig's head.

This time, he really shot himself in the foot.

He tacitly allowed officials to attack Zhang Juzheng in order to reduce Zhang Juzheng's influence.

But we didn't let those bastards turn around and bite us!
I'm reading a novel, what's wrong with that!
"You bastard Wei Maozhong!" The Wanli Emperor abruptly stood up, his anger reaching its peak. "What exactly do you intend to do?"

Are they mad dogs? They're even going to attack me?
Wei Yunzhen remained unmoved, and he bowed and knelt down to speak.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to die to remonstrate with you! I beg Your Majesty to clean up the obscene books in the palace, be close to virtuous ministers and keep away from wicked men, ban the Wanli Xinbao, severely punish Zhang Shiyuan, and thoroughly investigate the crimes of Zhang Juzheng."

Emperor Wanli was speechless with anger.

When an official says he will die for his cause, even the emperor, who holds the power of life and death, can do nothing about it.

The Wanli Emperor looked at Zhang Juzheng and the other officials in the court, and when he found that none of them spoke, he became even angrier.

Do you all share Wei Maozhong's view?

Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward, bowed deeply to the Emperor, and then looked at Wei Yunzhen and said.

"Imperial Censor Wei said that the Wanli Xinbao newspaper is misleading people. Is there any clear evidence to support this claim?"

Wei Yunzhen responded with a cold laugh: "The proof is in the newspapers, which I have already shown to you all last time."

Wang Guoguang was about to speak about the newspaper.

But Wei Yunzhen interrupted him: "Is Minister Wang going to talk about the benefits of the Wanli New Gazette to the country and the people again?"
Then I ask Minister Wang, what is the punishment for Zhang Shiyuan for sending books with impure intentions into the palace?

Should Zhang Shiyuan be punished for guiding the emperor to run that newspaper and engage in business?
Your Majesty is the foundation of the nation; how can you allow such treacherous officials to bewitch Your Majesty with such filthy things?

If this scoundrel is not severely punished, where is the law of the land? Where is the order of the nation?

Wei Yunzhen's outburst was truly remarkable.

Wang Guoguang was not an assertive person, and as he got older, his thinking was not as quick as the other party's. After a few sentences, he didn't know how to refute.

Many officials also began to ponder: putting aside the newspaper's merits, should Zhang Yunxiu be punished for sending vernacular novels to the emperor?

At this moment, even some members within the "Zhang Party" began to waver.

Isn't the Grand Secretary's son a bit too absurd?

The emperor, behind the backs of his ministers, neglected state affairs and spent his days reading vulgar books from the marketplace in the palace. Was there no problem at all?

If this continues, won't he become a tyrant?
"The Emperor's Residence."

Shen Shixing felt uneasy and glanced at Zhang Juzheng from the side.

Zhang Yunxiu's matter could be considered a big deal or a small one; if investigated thoroughly, he would inevitably be charged with "bewitching the emperor."

But the most crucial point is not this, but that if Zhang Yunxiu is severely punished, it will inevitably affect Zhang Juzheng.

As a father, Zhang Juzheng may not have been involved, but does he bear no responsibility whatsoever?

Zhang Juzheng has always possessed an "invincible shield"—the trust and respect he received from the Wanli Emperor.

With this invincible shield, which of the impeachments by Zou Yuanbiao, Liu Tai, Ai Mu, and Shen Sixiao had any effect?

Weren't they all punished by the emperor?

Things are different now. Many people can see that Zhang Juzheng's invincible image seems to be peeling away little by little.

Punishing Zhang Yunxiu is the first step in breaking his golden body.

Once the "golden body" is broken, countless people affected by the new policies and those who hate Zhang Juzheng will jump out at the smell of blood.

We must thoroughly devour this Grand Secretary who has defied the world's opinion!

"Don't be impatient."

Zhang Juzheng appeared calm and collected, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and then turned his gaze to the young emperor on the throne.

At this moment, Wei Yunzhen, who had just finished speaking, saw that the emperor was still unmoved, so he knelt on the ground and straightened his back.

He looked at the emperor and said.

"Does Your Majesty intend to protect Zhang Yunxiu? Or is Your Majesty being misled by his clever words and flattery, or bewildered by his stories and unofficial histories, thus blinding Your Majesty?"

The example of Emperor Huizong of Song, who indulged in literature and poetry, is still fresh in our minds. How can Your Majesty not be cautious?

Wei Yunzhen's output level was undeniably high. Today, he was almost prepared to die as he offered his advice, so he spoke even more recklessly.

They even dragged Emperor Huizong of Song into this?
The young emperor, sitting on his throne, felt as if his "underwear" had been seen through, and was about to explode.

He expected that his secret reading of storybooks in the harem would be exposed, but he did not expect that the court officials would know everything.
Most importantly, this was the first time Emperor Wanli had been directly criticized for neglecting his duties. In the past, even Zhang Juzheng had used lengthy historical allusions to subtly advise him.

When has anyone ever compared him to Emperor Huizong of Song? He was a notorious tyrant, a disgrace to the Jingkang Incident!

The Wanli Emperor began to feel the same anger his grandfather had felt when people pointed at him and cursed him with the phrase "Jiajing's family is ruined."

His voice trembled slightly as he pointed at Wei Yunzhen.

"How dare you! How arrogant! Wei Maozhong! How dare you slander me?"

Since taking power, what angers him most is that others don't respect him.

Even Grand Secretary Zhang doesn't dare to reprimand me anymore, so what kind of person are you, Wei Yunzhen?
But Wei Yunzhen had already gone all out, and with her neck stiffened, she said, "Does Your Majesty dare to swear before our ancestors that you have not had any secret dealings with Zhang Yunxiu?"

"Do you want to discipline me?" Emperor Wanli stammered.

In terms of eloquence, ten Wanli Emperors couldn't match one Wei Yunzhen. The young emperor was a little flustered; he had never been contradicted like this before.

But Wei Yunzhen remained unmoved. This is what makes the Qingliu faction so detestable. No matter what viewpoint he expresses, he always acts as if he is ready to die for his cause.

Wei Yunzhen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not discipline you. I only ask that Your Majesty restore order and turn back from the wrong path."

The Wanli Emperor sneered: "According to you, reading storybooks is a waste of time and energy? And running a newspaper is the way of a merchant?"

Wei Yunzhen answered fluently: "Fictional novels deceive people's minds. The Wanli Xinbao is a business of merchants. Although it is called 'news,' it is actually fabricated and used to profit from rumors and mislead the public. It is by no means the right way to govern the country."

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you diligently cultivate your virtuous character, study the books of Confucius and Mencius, and take rectifying your mind and cultivating sincerity as your foundation.

If we indulge in vulgar and base things, it will hardly be a blessing for the nation!

Emperor Wanli paused for a moment, then suddenly rose from his throne and paced back and forth.

He kept saying "okay, okay," and finally let out a soft laugh, his eyes fixed on Wei Yunzhen.

"That same old set of high principles again? You want me to listen? I won't! I've already told you everything, so whatever you say goes."

The Wanli Emperor erupted for the first time.

In the past, he was cautious and always listened to the advice of the Hanlin scholars and the prime minister.

What did he get in return? Increasingly harsh criticism and control, and the Wanli Emperor almost lost his human nature!
Emperor Wanli only fully understood all of this after he met Zhang Yunxiu.

It turns out that people can live such a happy life and even achieve great things based on it!
To do what he wants to do, isn't that exactly what he wants?
Who says newspapers are heretical? Who says novels will harm the country?
You pure-hearted people are allowed to hide at home, keeping concubines and entertainers, and then indulging in unrestrained debauchery as soon as the doors are closed, playing games with friends.

Why does the emperor have to become a saint?

Emperor Wanli was filled with resentment, and he seemed to want to unleash all his pent-up frustration. Wei Yunzhen just happened to be caught in the crossfire.

As if he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and said, "You all spout righteousness and morality, but in reality you are nothing but scoundrels!"

When the Grand Secretary seized power, you cried and wailed.

Now that I occasionally read some storybooks, you all start to spread alarmist rumors?

You call yourselves upright scholars, but in reality you are always trying to control me. If I make the slightest mistake, you criticize me harshly, always in the name of "for the sake of the Ming Dynasty".

Today I must ask you: what you seek—the future of this empire, or merely your own empty fame and personal gain?

boom!
The emperor's words were like a thunderclap, resounding in the hearts of every court official.

These remarks are truly malicious!

Wei Yunzhen was shocked upon hearing this: "I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

He said that, but his back remained straight.

Wei Yunzhen could not help but feel apprehensive. The emperor's words revealed that he had completely lost trust in his ministers, believing them to be a group of hypocrites who "seeked fame and fortune," "gained reputation through honesty," and were "selfish and self-serving."

Perhaps that is true, but Your Majesty, you cannot say it to my face!

In fact, Wei Yunzhen had always been well-regarded by scholars, known for his integrity and uprightness.

At least in the eyes of the upright officials, Wei Yunzhen was an excellent official, yet now he was being scolded by the emperor like this.
From the perspective of traditional Confucianism, Wei Yunzhen is an object of sympathy.

The officials felt a sense of shared sorrow, like the fox mourning the death of its kin.

Even Zhang Juzheng frowned and stepped forward to speak.

"Your Majesty"

"In that case."

It was as if the Wanli Emperor had finally made up his mind.

"Since you are all so eloquent, I will find you someone who can also speak well."

He turned to look at Feng Bao, who was standing to the side.

"Feng Banban!"

"Your Majesty," Feng Bao knelt down.

"Go and invite Zhang Shiyuan up; he must have been waiting for a long time."

Feng Bao paused for a moment before nodding and speaking.

"I will go and invite him over now."