Chapter 50: Double It, Execute with Double Severity

In Zhang Juzheng’s Memorial on Five Matters, there are no clauses restricting the Emperor from reviewing memorials. The Emperor holds court at the palace gates, reviews memorials, summons grand secretaries, discusses state affairs in court, and assesses capital officials.

Without consulting the Senior Grand Secretary, Zhu Yijun directly surprised Zhang Juzheng by granting Qi Jiguang the title of an Earl. Even though no hereditary certificate was bestowed and it was merely a non-hereditary title, Zhu Yijun still made this decision without discussing it with the court ministers.

Feng Bao knew about it because the imperial edict had been drafted by the Cabinet and then sent into the imperial palace, where His Majesty added two phrases: "For his merits in pacifying the Japanese pirates and repelling the enemy, he is enfeoffed as the Earl of Qian'an, with an annual stipend of eight hundred piculs. Such thread-upon-thread loyalty is known only to Heaven."

Empress Dowager Li initially wanted to object, but after careful consideration, she still granted the peerage. The rampant factionalism in the court, Gao Gong’s submission of the Memorial on Five Matters, the assassination attempt on the king and carriage, the appointment of military talents in the Capital Garrison, the censors continuously impeaching Tan Lun, and the Censorate censors and supervising secretaries confronting the imperial threshold—all these matters caused Empress Dowager Li extreme anxiety.

She worried that the Jin Faction, this clique of clansmen, would rebel.

Therefore, since the young emperor declared his intention to grant Qi Jiguang a non-hereditary peerage, Empress Dowager Li deemed it entirely acceptable. It served both to test the reaction of the Jin Faction and to test the reaction of Zhang Juzheng.

Qi Jiguang was Zhang Juzheng’s man, and the Emperor conferring a peerage was clearly an attempt to poach Qi Jiguang from Zhang Juzheng's camp.

Did Zhang Juzheng know?

He certainly did. Feng Bao had dispatched Xu Jue to inform You Qi, and once You Qi knew, Zhang Juzheng naturally knew as well.

"I have long heard that Grand Preceptor Yang is a minister of supreme virtue. Today, at this grand court ennoblement, since the Grand Preceptor has something to say, please speak freely." Zhu Yijun looked at Yang博 with a full smile, first bestowing upon him a flattering title: a minister of supreme virtue.

If Yang博’s words were overly biased, it would not befit the status of a minister of supreme virtue.

Upon hearing this, Yang博 was momentarily startled, his throat swallowing as he found himself temporarily at a loss for words.

Did Qi Jiguang deserve to be made an earl?

He did.

Qi Jiguang originally inherited his ancestral military rank as a Vice Regional Commander of the Dengzhou Garrison, holding the orthodox fourth rank. During the founding of the Great Ming, there were dukes, marquises, and earls, and in the early days of the dynasty, viscounts and barons still existed. For instance, eleven men including Wang Qing and Wang Fengxian were viscounts, and twenty-three men including Wang Kai and Sun Yan were barons.

Later, the ranks of viscount and baron were left vacant for a long period because hereditary thousand-household and hundred-household posts effectively functioned as the viscounts and barons of the Great Ming.

Back then, when the maritime borders of the Great Ming were ablaze with war for a thousand miles and the imperial court was shaken without a viable solution, Qi Jiguang pacified the Japanese pirates in the south and repelled the northern barbarians in the north, achieving illustrious military merit. Did his merits not warrant a peerage?

They did, most certainly.

Yet, of all things, Qi Jiguang should not have become a disciple under Zhang Juzheng’s tutelage.

"I believe that Your Majesty's ennoblement of Commander Qi as the Earl of Qian'an is somewhat inappropriate." Yang博 took a deep breath and finally spoke: "The other day when Commander Qi returned to the capital and arrived at Beitucheng, he had a verbal dispute with a hundred-household officer, a centurion, and soldiers of the Capital Garrison. I have heard that yesterday, this hundred-household officer, centurion, and these soldiers were beaten to death."

"A mere verbal dispute—how could it warrant taking human lives? I believe Commander Qi is biased in his heart, full of petty jealousies, narrow-minded, easily arrogant, rigid, and excessively extreme. When a vessel is full, it overflows; he ought to be cautious."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang smiled, unconcerned, and bowing, he said, "Your Majesty, my merits are shallow and my virtue is meager, making me unworthy of such a heavy responsibility. I beg Your Majesty to think thrice."

"It is not my wish to be ennobled a marquis; I only pray the sea waves will calm."

Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang possessed a commanding presence with a broad forehead, a gaze like a torch, thick eyebrows, a high bridge of nose, an extremely stalwart physique, a broad torso, wide waist, and broad shoulders. His voice was full of vital energy, giving one a solid and steadfast impression.

Zhu Yijun’s gaze shifted to Wang Chonggu, his eyes dark and inscrutable. In just a few simple words, the situation had become exceptionally clear and distinct.

Qi Jiguang’s reception of rewards at this grand court had gone extremely smoothly, but that did not mean things would continue to go smoothly for him afterward.

What kind of tactic was this by the Jin Faction? It was the tactic of escalation.

When the Emperor wanted to enrich the country, they escalated the harm and exploitation of the people;

When the Emperor wanted to strengthen the military, they escalated regional separatism and warlordism;

When the Emperor wanted to promote potatoes and sweet potatoes, they escalated it into not planting rice, wheat, or beans;

When the Emperor wanted to use the Method of Assessment to evaluate officials, they escalated it into such harshness that officials could no longer make a living.

In short, this tactic was known as "doubling down." The civil officials played this tactic to absolute perfection. They ostensibly and respectfully obeyed the imperial decree, but executed it with redoubled severity.

Zhang Juzheng demanded accountability. Whether Qi Jiguang chose to punish or let off the hundred-household officer, the centurion, and the soldiers, the six men who had collided with Qi Jiguang were destined to meet only one end.

Death.

Treating a minor offense with the severity of a major one and beating men to death ensured that no matter what grace or reward Qi Jiguang received upon returning to the capital this time, he would be forced to spit it back out in equal measure. This was the method of doubling down.

Yang博 assumed the young emperor did not understand these twists and turns, considering he was merely a ten-year-old sovereign.

Yang博 knew them, but even Feng Bao did not understand the overbearing nature of this tactic.

When Wang Chonggu carried out this affair, he had not informed Yang博, which left Yang博 somewhat lacking in confidence when he impeached Qi Jiguang in the Fengtian Hall.

"Were these six men beaten to death by Commander Qi's own hands?" Zhang Juzheng stepped forward, first bowing to the Emperor upon the raised terrace, and then turning sideways to interrogate Yang博.

Yang博 shook his head and said, "They were not."

"Were these six men beaten to death at Commander Qi's instigation?" Zhang Juzheng asked again.

"They were not." Yang博 shook his head once more, saying that yesterday at the post station, not only were Wang Chonggu, Zhu Xizhong, Qi Jiguang, and Chen Dacheng present, but there was also a waiter from the Quanchu Guildhall and several bailiffs escorting the six men.

Zhang Juzheng asked calmly, "Then what does the Grand Preceptor mean? These six men were unloyal and unfilial, committing offenses against their superiors, and were beaten to death by Wang Chonggu, the Supreme Commander of Military Affairs for the Capital Garrison. May I ask Grand Preceptor Yang: since the death of these six men was neither executed nor instigated by Commander Qi, what on earth does it have to do with Commander Qi?"

With furrowed brows, Yang博 said, "The Supreme Commander of the Capital Garrison and the Regional Commander in Chief went personally to apologize, yet Commander Qi still refused. Naturally, they had no choice but to return to the camp for severe punishment, hence this outcome."

Zhang Juzheng smiled. Shaking his head, he said, "Grand Preceptor Yang, choose your words carefully. These are words that pierce the heart. If Grand Preceptor Yang wishes to judge by inner intent, once this precedent is opened, matters judged by inner intent will become endless."

Yesterday, Zhang Juzheng had learned a phrase from the young emperor: one is one, and two is two. Zhang Juzheng did not dare to differentiate between sovereign and father, but could he not differentiate between judging by one's actions versus judging by one's inner intent? He could not simply allow this clique of clansmen to bully an honest man.

Good men should not have guns pointed at them. The faction could not bully Qi Jiguang like this. Since he was still Qi Jiguang's patron, he was duty-bound to stand up for Qi Jiguang.

Yesterday, when the Senior Grand Secretary of the Great Ming returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion, he kept trying to forget those words. But the more he tried to forget them, the clearer they became, until he simply decided not to forget them anymore. Today’s debate in the Fengtian Hall was a classic example of "you fight your war, and I’ll fight mine." You judge intent; I judge actions. You talk about human sentiment; I talk about facts.

Speaking with facts, he laid the matter out clearly and backed Yang博 into a corner. Yang博 was arguing entirely from the perspective of inner intent; once such a precedent was opened, what would stop Zhang Juzheng from using the exact same tactic against the Jin Faction?

He could simply find a few old women to accuse Yang博 of illicitly violating them in his youth. Whether successful or not, it would be enough to disgust Yang博 for days on end. Once the precedent of judging and piercing hearts by inner intent was established, it would be endless, an irreconcilable blood feud.

Zhang Juzheng prompted Yang博 to think very carefully about how he intended to proceed.

Yang博 fell silent for a moment. He had always known Zhang Juzheng was difficult to deal with, but tit-for-tat like this—this Zhang Baigui had truly become even more formidable.

"I am ashamed." After a moment of silence, Yang博 bowed to the Emperor on the raised terrace, withdrew his impeachment of Qi Jiguang, and ultimately chose to concede defeat.

The fact was that Qi Jiguang had forgiven the provocation of the six men in plain view of everyone, yet Wang Chonggu had chosen to escalate the situation. If the matter were truly laid bare and dissected to see whether it was one or two, the one who would lose face was Yang博.

Last time, Yang博 had been obliquely rebuked and questioned by the Emperor in the seedling greenhouse's heating chamber. To be interrogated in such a manner by a ten-year-old child had left Yang博 utterly ashamed beyond measure, and this time he could not be bothered to argue further. Furthermore, Yang博’s impeachment of Qi Jiguang did not stem from true conviction; his conscience was uneasy.

"Report! Urgent report!" A mounted courier galloped furiously from the Nine-Dragon Cinnabar Steps straight to the front of the Fengtian Hall and, standing before the hall, cried out in a loud voice.

"Proclaim him," Zhu Yijun said immediately, leaning forward.

"Altan Khan has moved south. Ma Fang, the Regional Commander of Datong, hearing the news, led his troops to repel the enemy, but before he arrived, the northern barbarians breached the Huyukou Pass, plundered the two garrisons of Gaoshan and Tiancheng, and returned north with rich loot!" The mounted courier said in a loud voice, holding up the military dispatch.

The officer of the watch was responsible for transmitting the military dispatches of the Great Ming via 800-li urgent couriers. Because the military situation was critical and the Ministry of War officials were all attending the grand court assembly, the dispatch had been delivered to the Northern Bureau of Security, and the courier had rushed it to the front of the Fengtian Hall.

Upon hearing this, the court ministers inside the Fengtian Hall immediately broke into a flurry of discussions. The northern barbarians had beaten at the gates!

"What are the losses?" Zhu Yijun stood up, his expression cold and stern, his eyes carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

The mounted courier hurriedly replied, "The grain storehouses of the two garrisons were completely plundered. Beacon fires were lit, but the common people and citizens had already entered the encampment fortresses, so they are safe."

Zhu Yijun’s expression relaxed considerably. Having fought for so many years, Altan Khan and the border armies of Datong and Xuanfu had developed a tacit understanding. Breaking the pass did not involve attacking the fortified camps; instead, they chose to plunder the grain storehouses and leave immediately. If they lingered, the reinforcements from various garrisons would arrive, turning it into a bitter, protracted battle.

It was a tacitly understood northern barbarian raid, a familiar practice of nurturing enemies to secure one's own position.

Upon hearing the news, Yang博 nearly lost his footing, and it was only thanks to Ge Shouli supporting him that he avoided losing his composure in public.

The pass had been breached!

Zhu Yijun breathed a sigh of relief, sat back down, and commanded, "File the military dispatch into the archives of the Ministry of War. Mobilize the grain reserves of various garrisons to pacify the hearts of the soldiers and people of the two garrisons, and reprimand Ma Fang, the Regional Commander of Datong and Senior Metropolitan Commander, for lax border defense."

"I request that censors be dispatched to Datong and Xuanfu to inspect and review the rebuilding of the Great Wall. If a single flaw makes a hundred defensive works flawed, are we merely to spend year after year repairing what collapses each year, to no useful end?" Zhang Juzheng immediately seized the opportunity to insert himself into the core territory of the Jin Faction.

Inspecting and reviewing the rebuilding of the Great Wall meant examining the encampment fortresses and Great Wall sections of the Nine Border Garrisons, the border fortifications, armor, weapons, and dry rations, to check whether military preparations were complete and whether the Great Wall required repairs.

At the end of the sixth year of Longqing, the Great Wall at Huyukou had just been repaired. The Great Ming had spent so much money and sustained so many people in Xuanfu and Datong—where had all that investment gone?

The Huyukou section of the Great Wall had been repaired for less than three months, and yet it had been breached by bandits?

Over at Gubeikou, General Tower, Sister Towers, and Xifengkou, Qi Jiguang had successively defeated the enemy in two battles; yet here at Huyukou Pass, it was as fragile as paper, broken at a single poke! It was even looser than the waistband of a courtesan's trousers!

Sending censors to investigate would make the truth abundantly clear.

The expressions of Yang博, Wang Chonggu, and others instantly changed. Zhang Juzheng was indeed someone who would retaliate for every slight. While they had tripped up Qi Jiguang over his rewards on the one hand, Zhang Juzheng had immediately launched a vicious counter-attack straight at the heart of the Jin Faction's core interests.

In fact, at this moment, Ge Shouli, as the Chief Censor of the Censorate, should have stepped forward to arrange for one of the Jin Faction's own men to conduct the investigation—such as Lin Shaohuai, Director of the Armory Department; Wu Zhe, Military Defense Counselor; or Vice Minister Wu Baipeng for the inspection.

Since they were all "their own people," the matter would be easy to handle.

However, Ge Shouli remained entirely silent. He merely supported Yang博 and kept his mouth shut.

Previously, when Jing Song impeached Tan Lun but failed to impeach Lu Shusheng for unseemly behavior, Ge Shouli had been left hanging out to dry, needing the Jin Faction to give him a way out down the steps, yet no one had provided him with a single step. Now that it was his turn to speak and uphold the interests of the Jin Faction, he chose to remain mute, allowing Zhang Juzheng to strike a fatal blow.

Ge Shouli did not blame Yang博; Yang博 was the faction leader, and in some matters, even Yang博 had no choice. Ge Shouli had grown deeply resentful of the Jin Faction, and once Yang博 retired from office, Ge Shouli did not intend to continue wallowing in the same mire as the faction.

In truth, Ge Shouli did not know how to speak out either. Had Altan Khan grown wings and learned to fly over the newly repaired city gates? He had actually broken straight through Huyukou! This matter indeed needed to be investigated.

"Which official does Chief Censor Ge deem suitable to be dispatched?" Zhu Yijun looked toward Ge Shouli.

Trying to hide?

No way.