Chapter Twenty-Two: Prime Minister, I Have Doubts

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"Prosper the nation, strengthen the military." Zhang Juzheng sat upright with solemnity. Recruiting capable officers for the capital garrison was a matter of great importance, directly tied to military power within the capital.

The Ming dynasty had been locked in conflict with the Oirat Khanate at Xuanda for over a decade without victory. The current impasse facing Ming could largely be attributed to this failure to win. How did the Jìn faction gradually rise to such prominence and dominate both court and government? Was it not precisely because they could not secure victory, allowing the Jìn faction to consolidate its position step by step?

If only, like Emperor Chengzu Wen, the armies could have advanced swiftly, driving the northern barbarians to flee thousands of miles away.

Would the political landscape of today still be as it is? Would the Jìn faction dare to be so bold?

Zhang Juzheng continued, "The ancients said, even with the realm at peace, forgetting war invites peril. Now that the capital garrison has enjoyed long peace, military readiness has declined. Officers are shackled by civil officials. Henceforth, commanders who are loyal and brave should be entrusted with authority to fully demonstrate their abilities."

"Officials of the fourth rank and above within the capital, as well as provincial governors, military commanders, and inspectors outside the capital, shall each nominate capable officers to serve. Those nominated who achieve merit or commit faults will result in rewards or punishments extending to their nominators."

Zhang Juzheng began by citing a passage from Du Yu’s military treatise, *The Sima Fa*: although the world may currently be peaceful, neglecting warfare inevitably leads to danger.

The Ming military’s decline meant that generals, junior officers, and soldiers were all restrained by civil officials, hampering their actions. Loyal and courageous commanders deserving of trust should be granted appropriate authority to unleash their talent.

Regarding appointments within the capital garrison, senior officials of the fourth rank and above, alongside governors and military supervisors, could recommend officers. Rewards and penalties would be unified: achievements would be rewarded, mistakes punished.

How exactly to delegate authority?

When Qi Jiguang ambushed Dong Foxi and captured his nephew, detaining him in the capital, the situation was sudden. The governor of Jiliao, Liang Menglong, learned of this only afterward but did not impeach Qi Jiguang for acting without authorization; instead, he submitted a formal congratulatory memorial praising Qi’s valor.

This exemplified the delegation of authority.

If enemies encroach at the doorstep, and the governor and general must haggle over sharing credit or blame, how can battles be fought? Ambiguous responsibilities and conflicting orders are the gravest taboos.

Who leads the army? The commanders in war lead.

That is delegation of authority.

Wang Chonggu wished to bring his own protégés into the capital garrison to receive imperial stipends, but Zhang Juzheng’s proposal was that both civil and military officials inside and outside the capital could recommend capable officers.

Zhang Juzheng spoke openly and acted transparently, explaining the selection procedure in detail, insisting that all nominated officers in the capital garrison undergo training.

How to train them? According to what regulations?

Qi Jiguang authored two military manuals; training would follow those books. If the Zhejiang army could endure it, why not the nominated officers?

Even a ten-year-old emperor could grit his teeth and persevere, believing himself divinely favored—could anyone be more honorable than His Majesty?

True gold fears no fire; the fiercest flames forge the purest essence.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao immediately applauded, "This method is excellent! Since the goal is to restore military might and strengthen the army, we must use this approach."

"Wang Shaobao, did you not think the capital garrison was corrupt? Did you not say we should recommend the virtuous without regard to kinship? Do you dare to put those on your list through the same training?"

"I dare!" Wang Chonggu folded his arms and said, "I only fear some will engage in nepotism and deceit, so that after rigorous training, only sycophants remain!"

Zhang Juzheng frowned, his gaze growing stern. He stretched his hand forward on the table, then leaned back, speaking calmly: "Wang Shaobao worries too much. The Ministry of War, the Five-Army Command, and the supervising eunuchs all have many eyes watching. Under broad daylight, with countless witnesses, deceit would be the mark of a petty man. Besides, aren’t you also supervising?"

Upon Zhang Juzheng’s words, the noisy whispers in the Wenhua Hall fell silent, leaving only the sound of the young emperor flipping pages and the gentle breeze stirring the silk curtains.

Everyone grew tense. Zhang Juzheng usually spoke gently, but a subtle shift in tone was unmistakable.

"Let us hope so," Wang Chonggu, sensing the change, quickly said, "Prime Minister, I do not doubt your integrity. I only fear those treacherous eunuch supervisors might undermine matters."

Yang Bo, with keen judgment, noticed Wang Chonggu’s quick temper. Feng Bao only needed a few words to rile him up. Wang Chonggu’s impromptu accusations were unwise. The proposal to nominate everyone for training and select the best was Zhang Juzheng’s idea.

Wang Chonggu’s suspicion of fraud immediately turned into an accusation against Zhang Juzheng.

Then Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "No matter. I shall oversee this personally. If the eunuch supervisors cause trouble, I will report it to His Majesty and ensure proper action."

Only then did Wang Chonggu relax. Offending anyone was dangerous, but offending Zhang Juzheng was unthinkable. Once spoken openly, Zhang Juzheng was not so petty.

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Face is granted mutually. Zhang Juzheng was displeased that Wang Chonggu had spoken softly before so many, but the grudge was not irreparable.

"Scoundrel," Feng Bao cursed Wang Chonggu under his breath. Earlier, when Yang Bo spoke with Zhang Juzheng, he also called the eunuchs "treacherous," prompting Feng Bao to retort.

Wang Chonggu immediately shot back, "Traitors!"

"Scoundrel."

"Wang Shaobao," Yang Bo, seeing the quarrel reignite, cautioned Wang Chonggu not to stoop to eunuch-level petty squabbling.

"Hmph."

"Hmph!"

With Yang Bo’s intervention, the exchange ended amid cold snorts, as neither Feng Bao nor Wang Chonggu would concede.

Wang Chonggu accepted the proposal. Everyone would be tested on the training grounds—time to see who was who.

His list had been blocked for months by Minister of War Tan Lun; the Ministry of Personnel officials impeached it, prompting Tan Lun to retire abruptly, refusing to approve it any further.

If the dispute continued, Zhang Juzheng grew impatient and transferred the Zhejiang army’s elite troops to the capital garrison. Wang Chonggu’s role as supervising officer became a mere figurehead.

Zhang Juzheng’s words actually reflected Tan Lun’s thinking.

Tan Lun’s reluctance to approve Wang Chonggu’s list stemmed from it being filled with Wang’s personal favors. Whether Wang liked it or not, these recommendations had to be made.

Sitting as one of the twenty-seven court ministers in the Wenhua Hall, writing recommendations for officers still required consideration of personal relationships—kneeling to serve as a just official was pointless otherwise.

Thus, this matter was settled.

Despite the noisy debates, under Zhang Juzheng’s leadership, most issues found satisfactory resolutions, handled swiftly. The merit evaluation system, long stalled, was approved to be piloted in the capital after Yang Bo expressed his support, rather than imposed nationwide at once.

A decree issued on impulse was not befitting of a mature official. Learning from experience before extending nationwide was the proper approach.

Zhu Yijun received a new textbook, *Illustrated Lessons from the Emperor’s Mirror*, compiled by Zhang Juzheng, containing stories of past rulers. Though only 117 chapters, every one bore profound meaning.

"The ministers take their leave." The session ended amid continued hubbub. Those attending to the emperor’s reading began to enter.

Feng Bao spoke solemnly: "Your Majesty, yesterday I heard you intended to personally oversee agriculture and sericulture. The challenges are great. Impatient, I confided in the Prime Minister, asking for advice. After all, this concerns the outer court; I should not meddle too much."

"Good, your words today are commendable. Keep it up," Zhu Yijun said, closing *Direct Interpretations of the Four Books*, nodding approvingly at Feng Bao.

Whose advice had Feng Bao heeded? That of palace maid Zhang Hong in the Qianqing Palace. How did Feng Bao relay this outside the palace? He sent his adopted son Xu Jue.

Zhang Hong had already reported to the palace earlier that morning.

Those inside and outside had their own aims, cooperating to promote this matter.

"Your Majesty’s praise is humbling. I merely rely on your imperial authority to speak sternly to them," Feng Bao beamed, eager to secure his standing in the palace by the emperor’s words.

The emperor would grow up in time.

Zhu Yijun did not fault Feng Bao for leaking information. What could be revealed and what could not—Feng Bao, as a senior eunuch, understood these boundaries.

If palace and outside news never met, misunderstandings would arise; if communication flowed freely, the emperor’s safety would be at grave risk.

How to leak certain secrets effectively, reasonably, purposefully, and at the right time, mixing in some false intelligence—this was a subtle art, a skill of the ancestors.

Leaking information was itself a means to an end.

Zhu Yijun admired Feng Bao’s mastery of this "Art of Provocation," knowing Zhang Hong’s temperament was less capable in this regard.

Feng Bao breathed a sigh of relief, smiling broadly. The emperor’s praise and lack of reproach meant his position was more secure.

"Prime Minister, your talent is great," Zhu Yijun said, reading and listening to governance, noting Zhang Juzheng’s adept handling.

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"Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise." Zhang Juzheng accepted the compliment with pride, his wit and virtue deserving of such praise.

The teaching and clearing of doubts began anew, still with *The Analects*, still with the sages' texts, yet Zhang Juzheng felt the young emperor’s interpretations were somewhat strange, twisting the sages’ words beyond recognition.

Did Confucius truly mean this?

Teaching the young emperor felt like a philosophical debate, yet all his annotations arose from a Q&A, dictated by Zhang Juzheng himself, as if it were only natural.

Zhang Juzheng spoke: "Zigong asked, 'What do you think of being poor without flattery and rich without arrogance?' The Master replied, 'That’s acceptable, but not as good as being poor yet joyful, and rich yet respectful.'"

"Flattery means servility. Arrogance means insolence and pride. 'Acceptable' means it is permissible, but it is not the ultimate ideal."

"Zigong asked the Master: 'How about one who is poor but does not flatter, rich but does not act arrogantly?' Confucius said: 'That is acceptable, but not as good as one who is poor and finds joy in the Way, and rich and loves propriety.'"

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked, "Prime Minister, how do you interpret this?"

Zhang Juzheng answered: "Ordinary people, when poor, do not abase themselves; when wealthy, do not indulge in arrogance—this is already rare."

"If one, despite poverty and hardship, still delights in pursuing the Way of the sages, and when wealthy and noble, still pursues ritual and propriety, that surpasses the common man. The Master’s reply encourages Zigong to strive for this higher state."

"It says: Poor and humble without flattery; rich and noble without arrogance; in poverty, delight in the Way; when rich, cherish propriety."

"Indeed," Zhu Yijun nodded firmly, then asked, "Prime Minister, I have a doubt."

"If a person lives in poverty, without enough food or clothing, whose feet are cut by the gravel on the road, and someone says, ‘Kneel and kowtow, and you will have food, clothes, and shoes to protect your feet,’ how can this person refuse to kneel?"

Zhang Juzheng furrowed his brow, images flashing before his eyes, responding, "They cannot. Hence, one must delight in the Way despite poverty."

Zhu Yijun asked, puzzled, "If one must kneel and flatter, then one cannot be poor without flattery, nor pursue the Way of the sages."

"Indeed," Zhang Juzheng replied.

Zhu Yijun continued, "If a person is wealthy and noble, beating the lowly for three cash a punch, ten punches for fifty cash, killing someone for one tael of silver or even less, with no punishment and someone covering for them, remaining unaware of their wrongdoing—how can such a person not be arrogant?"

Zhang Juzheng was silent for a long moment before bowing his head and saying, "They cannot. Hence, one must be rich yet love propriety."

Zhu Yijun shook his head, "If one is arrogant and insolent, one cannot be rich without arrogance, let alone rich and respectful."

"Indeed," Zhang Juzheng answered.

This exchange between ruler and minister plunged the Wenhua Hall into silence. At this point in reading the sages’ texts, some phenomena seemed inexplicable. The emperor’s questions, and Zhang Juzheng’s great talent, appeared beyond the sages’ teachings.

What was Zhu Yijun asking?

A petty kind man who struck a servant once and threw down three cash would be met with gratitude.

Henceforth, the petty kind man knew he could beat people for three cash a punch, ten punches for a little more, even kill with impunity and have someone cover it up. In his eyes, wrongdoing was not wrongdoing. Was that person still human?

No.

In the petty kind man’s eyes, humans became mere objects.

If people are objects, what meaning is there in arrogance or respect for learning?

Zhu Yijun sighed deeply, "If poverty and hardship are not changed, servility and flattery will inevitably follow; if wealth and rank are unchecked, arrogance and insolence will surely arise. Over time, morals decline and rites and music collapse."

He then wrote a few characters with his pencil, concluding the session.