Chapter 32: Where Your Desires Lie, There Lies the Truth

What was the purpose of Zhang Juzheng’s "Memorial on Five Matters"? It was to codify the obligations of the Emperor.

Since ancient times, emperors have held only rights, never obligations. Especially under the institutional framework of the Great Ming, where nothing could be accomplished without the imperial seal, the two preceding emperors—Jiajing and Longqing—had both effectively entered a state of "divine seclusion," neither attending court nor attending to state affairs. When court officials wished to remonstrate, they found no leverage; they could not even gain an audience. Once memorials were submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial and passed through the palace gates, they vanished into silence.

Zhang Juzheng was patching the structural integrity of the Ming state. Gao Gong’s "Memorial on Five Matters" had also sought to define imperial duties, just as Zhang’s did. The only difference was that Zhang’s version was more moderate. In summary, it called for: court officials to have audiences with the Emperor, the Emperor to review memorials, the Emperor to summon Grand Secretaries, state affairs to be discussed in court, and officials in the capital to be evaluated. Of these five points, the first three offended the Emperor and the inner court, while the latter two offended the entire civil service bureaucracy of the Ming.

Zhang Juzheng did not merely preach this; he acted upon it. Without imperial authority—without the Emperor’s continued support—Zhang Juzheng would be in grave danger. Xu Jie had accumulated vast wealth and bought immense tracts of land; even when Hai Rui investigated the major land encroachment case in Songjiang and presided over the return of fields, Xu Jie did not return a single mu. Hai Rui was ultimately impeached and removed by court officials on charges of "oppressing the gentry." Even Gao Gong, caught in the vortex of the "Assassination of the Emperor" case, had not seen his family ruined.

Why, then, was Zhang Juzheng offending both the Emperor and the court officials? He wanted to slow the speed at which the Ming Dynasty was sliding toward ruin.

"This is how this subject fulfills my duty to the late Emperor and my loyalty to Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng did not answer whether he was afraid; he answered from a different perspective.

Hearing this once more, Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, quickly broadening into a brilliant, sunny grin. "What you desire, Minister, is where reason lies," Zhu Yijun said.

Should the Emperor attend the Wenhua Hall to hear state affairs? Should the Emperor summon his Grand Secretaries to discuss major issues in person? When twenty-seven high officials of the Ming requested an audience—the twenty-seven men who formed the power center of the empire—should the Emperor see them? Should the Emperor review the memorials, even if only to draw a circle or a cross?

Zhu Yijun believed that where reason lay, there the Emperor must be. What is an Emperor? To gather the goodness of the world, to embody the principles of all things, and to receive the offerings of the people—all these reside in the person of the Emperor. That is the Emperor’s right. Therefore, handling state business—or, more simply, applying the seal—is the Emperor’s obligation.

Zhu Yijun was not being diligent; he simply wanted to go to the Wenhua Hall and watch these dignitaries of the empire bicker! As for whether the capital officials would accept such rigorous evaluation, Zhu Yijun would not fight with the court officials; he would merely stand by Zhang Juzheng. If Zhang could carry it out, he would; if he could not, then when Zhu Yijun grew up, he would carry it out himself.

"I thank Your Majesty for your boundless grace." Zhang Juzheng performed a deep and respectful bow. He did not know if the young Emperor truly understood what this exchange meant, but his gratitude was sincere, coming from the depths of his heart.

To put it bluntly, Zhang Juzheng’s "Memorial on Five Matters" was cut from the same cloth as Gao Gong’s—it was an encroachment upon imperial power, utilizing the Emperor’s own constraints to establish authority and push through policies, using the restriction of the Emperor’s behavior to hold the bureaucracy—including the capital officials—accountable.

Zhu Yijun’s answer was: "Where reason lies."

While Zhang Juzheng was lecturing at the Wenhua Hall, the Lecture Scholar Wang Jiaping and the 1565 top scholar Fan Yingqi arrived at the Quanjin Guild Hall to visit Yang Bo. Zhang Juzheng had once remarked that his own Quanchu Guild Hall was far inferior to Yang Bo’s Quanjin Guild Hall. The two halls were adjacent, but the Quanjin Guild Hall covered over eighty mu—more opulent even than the mansion of the Duke of Wei, Xu Da, in Nanjing, which had only covered eighty mu at its inception and expanded to about a hundred after renovations.

It was working hours, yet the Minister of Personnel, Yang Bo, was not at the Six Ministries; why was he at home? It was common and ubiquitous for leaders to be absent from their offices. As a political appointee, Yang Bo only needed to review and sign off on the deliberations of the Ministry. Since Zhang Juzheng had become the Senior Grand Secretary, he had sat in the Wenyuan Pavilion every day, which was actually quite rare. What were the Junior Grand Secretaries and the numerous secretaries for?

Wang Jiaping and Fan Yingqi entered the Quanjin Guild Hall and met Yang Bo in his study. Beside Yang Bo stood a man with an extremely gentle expression named Zhang Siwei. After Yang Bo left, the Quanjin Guild Hall would become Zhang Siwei’s private residence, and Yang Bo was already packing his things, preparing to return to his ancestral home for retirement.

After the trial of the Evaluation Law in the capital concluded, Yang Bo would resign. He had promised Zhang Juzheng, and he would not go back on his word. Yang Bo intended to withdraw; to continue would only lead to disgrace. The Jin Faction was becoming increasingly bold and harder for him to control.

"The lecture time hasn't arrived yet; shouldn't the two of you be at the Wenhua Hall?" Yang Bo frowned, looking at them. Had they been kicked out by Zhang Juzheng? Zhang Juzheng had promised in front of everyone to monopolize the lectures in exchange for opening the Fengtian Hall to hold a court session to reward Qi Jiguang. Had Zhang Juzheng reneged on his word?

Wang Jiaping stuttered, detailing everything that happened at the Wenhua Hall to Yang Bo and Zhang Siwei. Yang Bo was old and about to retire; he could no longer protect the Jin Faction. Listening to Wang and Fan, he immediately realized his previous assessment had been correct. The young Emperor was not stupid at all; he had indeed been slacking off before, but after the assassination attempt, he had turned a new leaf and begun to take things seriously.

*A good thing,* was Yang Bo’s first thought. Zhang Juzheng had said more than once, in public and private, that Yang Bo was a minister of great virtue. Yang Bo knew for certain that the "Assassination of the Emperor" case was merely a temporary pause, not an end. When the Emperor grew up and took full control, this case would be the pretext to uproot the Jin Faction. However, that no longer concerned Yang Bo; he was retiring and ill. His time was coming to an end, and once dead, everything would be settled. Could he still manage what came after?

"Two useless fools!" Upon hearing that the two had been kicked out due to their incompetence, Zhang Siwei’s gentle face turned fierce, becoming truly repulsive. He flicked his sleeves, pointing at Wang and Fan, and began to berate them harshly.

Yang Bo reached out, pressed Zhang Siwei’s hand down, and smiled. "Two scholars, return to your offices. If Bai Gui [Zhang Juzheng] does not mind the toil, let him continue to shoulder the burden of the lectures. Let this matter end here."

"Go, go."

"Yes, we take our leave." Wang Jiaping and Fan Yingqi hurried away.

"Two useless fools, they should be punished!" Once they were gone, Zhang Siwei’s expression grew impatient. How could Yang Bo let these two scholars off so easily? They had failed their task—such a good opportunity to keep the young Emperor under their own control! Zhang Siwei had thought the Jin Faction would profit greatly from this deal, but instead, the deal was only half-done: the court had approved the reward for Qi Jiguang, but Zhang Juzheng still occupied the position of tutor to the young Emperor. That the deal was left unfinished was due to the incompetence of Wang and Fan, and this enraged Zhang Siwei.

Yang Bo disliked Zhang Siwei intensely. He would rather have ceded the leadership of the Jin Faction to Zhang Juzheng than let Zhang Siwei take the helm. Yang Bo knew Zhang Siwei’s character; as a man from a merchant family, his profit-seeking nature was deeply ingrained and unshakeable. Yang Bo knew such a man would likely lead the Jin Faction into an abyss. A man who is not magnanimous and steadfast, who has no concern for the world in his heart but only private gain—a narrow-minded man who occupies a high position in the court is a traitor to the state.

"The matter of Qi Jiguang was Bai Gui’s unilateral decision, not an exchange. Do you understand the difference?" Yang Bo looked at Zhang Siwei. Zhang Juzheng had not traded the Emperor’s education; he had made it clear he was acting unilaterally. As for why Zhang Juzheng would yield the monopoly on the lectures, Yang Bo understood that the questions the young Emperor asked were simply too devious.

Yang Bo looked at Zhang Siwei, then at the backs of Wang Jiaping and Fan Yingqi. The ministers of the Ming court no longer possessed a sense of obedience. Every minister seemed to attach great importance to the Emperor’s lectures, but between Zhang Siwei, Wang Jiaping, Fan Yingqi, and the other ministers, how many had seriously read what the Emperor and Zhang Juzheng actually discussed at the Wenhua Hall? The lecture scholars recorded every word of the dialogues daily. If anyone truly cared about the Emperor’s studies, they would know that teaching him was by no means easy. Yang Bo had read them—read them carefully. He knew the Emperor’s temperament. If Ge Shouli went, he would only be humiliated, so he had sent two scholars to lose face. Scholars, after all, had thick skins; losing a little face didn't matter. Ge Shouli thought he was working hard but getting no credit, but in truth, Yang Bo had been protecting him. Without Yang Bo’s shielding, Ge Shouli would have died many times over.

Yang Bo had warned Zhang Siwei, but seeing Zhang’s bewildered expression, he did not elaborate. Behind the young Emperor’s sunny, cheerful exterior, what kind of face was hidden?

Yang Bo leaned back in his chair and continued, "In the fortieth year of Jiajing, Yan Song was old, and the Minister of Personnel, Wu Peng, retired. Yan Song’s son, Yan Shifan, recommended his uncle Ouyang Bijin to the court. Using his father’s name, Yan Shifan submitted a memorial: ‘To recommend kin without avoiding suspicion, so as to comfort an old man’s twilight years.’"

"Using his father’s name, Yan Shifan submitted a secret memorial to Emperor Shizong. The Emperor had no choice but to agree, making Ouyang Bijin the Minister of Rites."

‘To comfort an old man’s twilight years’—meaning the recommendation was solely for the sake of the elderly Yan Song. But the biggest problem with the secret memorial was that Yan Shifan had submitted it in his father’s name.

Yang Bo continued, "Later, the ministers were dissatisfied, and Ouyang Bijin was dismissed. Fearing he had chilled the heart of an old minister, Emperor Shizong personally issued an edict to comfort Yan Song. Upon hearing this, Yan Song was terrified; he rushed to the palace to explain to the Emperor that he knew nothing of the matter."

"After his wife passed away, Yan Song stopped attending to state affairs. Yan Shifan, behind his father’s back, did heaven knows how much. In the forty-fourth year of Jiajing, Yan Shifan was beheaded, and Yan Song’s property was confiscated. Stripped of his office and returned to his hometown, destitute and homeless, Yan Song died of poverty and illness."

Why did Yang Bo suddenly bring up an old matter from six years ago? Who was behind the assassination attempt? Gao Gong? If Gao Gong had the guts, he wouldn't be idling in Zhengzhou now. Even if he had the guts, he didn't have the strength to plant people in the palace; it wasn't as simple as it seemed. Yang Bo suspected Zhang Siwei, because Yang Bo was trying to win over Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Siwei had long coveted the leadership of the Jin Faction. Yang Bo was eighty percent certain it was Zhang Siwei.

Yang Bo was an excellent judge of character, a trait Zhang Juzheng admired. It was Yang Bo who had cleaned up the mess of the assassination case, selling his own reputation and begging the Grand Secretary to smooth things over. Yang Bo was telling Zhang Siwei: *Don't be impatient. The Jin Faction is mine for now, but in the end, it will be yours.*

Zhang Siwei’s expression did not change. He smiled and said, "Yan Song and his son relied on favor and abused power. Coming to such an end, dying with no place to be buried, is just retribution."

Yang Bo lost interest in talking to Zhang Siwei. Zhang had his own agenda and ideas; he wasn't someone Yang Bo could correct with a few words. He was too old for this, and Zhang was no longer a child. Yang Bo was too tired to say more.

"I am tired. You may go." Yang Bo waved his hand and picked up his teacup to dismiss his guest.

"Then, Uncle, I shall take my leave." Zhang Siwei did not speak further and bowed farewell. His visit to the Quanjin Guild Hall had two purposes: first, to see if Yang Bo was still clinging to power (seeing him pack his things put his mind at ease; Yang Bo had failed to win over Zhang Juzheng, which was good news for Zhang Siwei); second, to discuss the marriage between his son and Yang Bo’s granddaughter. Yang Bo’s son had married Wang Chonggu’s daughter, so they were already in-laws. Zhang Siwei was Wang Chonggu’s nephew, so they were already relatives. But Zhang Siwei wanted to strengthen the bond further, having his two sons marry Yang Bo’s two granddaughters—an alliance by marriage. Yang Bo had agreed; both matters were settled.

"Zhang Juzheng, oh Zhang Juzheng," Yang Bo sighed, setting down his teacup. "You are skilled at planning for the state, but clumsy at planning for yourself. How will you end well?" He had intended to marry his own daughter to Zhang Juzheng to form an alliance, but Zhang Juzheng had refused.

Meanwhile, inside the Ming palace, the young Emperor was practicing martial arts, and the Empress Dowager was listening to Feng Bao’s report on court affairs. Upon hearing of Zhang Juzheng’s "Memorial on Five Matters," Empress Dowager Li’s expression shifted, becoming grave. Her thoughts leaped ahead. Zhang Juzheng had touched the edge of imperial power, and her mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that the Grand Secretary was intending to emulate Gao Gong and usurp the sacred authority.

How difficult it was for an orphan and a widow to maintain the empire! Ming Empresses all came from common backgrounds and had no support from powerful maternal clans. For a moment, Empress Dowager Li panicked.