My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 172 Matters of National Importance
Su Ze's memorial was submitted to the cabinet, and all four cabinet ministers voted in favor of it. The memorial was then quickly sent to the palace.

After receiving the memorial, Feng Bao, the chief scribe of the Directorate of Ceremonial, secretly glanced at Li Fang, the official in charge of the seal, and then took the memorial to Li Fang.

"Eunuch Li, please take a look at Su Zilin's memorial."

Li Fang received Su Ze's memorial. A new tacit understanding had been reached within the Directorate of Ceremonial: Su Ze's memorials, like those of the cabinet ministers, needed to be reviewed by the three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial before being jointly presented to the emperor.

Li Fang opened Su Ze's memorial and paused for a moment after seeing the title.

As the emperor's close eunuch, Li Fang understood the emperor's changes.

Since the great victory at Soutao, the emperor has been very concerned about the affairs of the northern border, and even dug out the records of expeditions to the grasslands from the Hanlin Academy.

The Longqing Emperor even obtained a map of the Chengzu Zhu Di's conquest of the grasslands and pasted it on the screen in his study.

The three top officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs all felt this change to varying degrees.

Li Fang said, "Please invite Eunuch Feng and Eunuch Chen to join me in meeting the Emperor."

Chen Hong also stopped writing and looked curiously at the memorial in Li Fang's hand. Li Fang handed the memorial to him. After Chen Hong finished reading it, he exchanged a glance with Li Fang and Feng Bao, and then they walked together toward the Imperial Study.

By May, the climate in the capital had become rather muggy.

However, the windows and doors of the Imperial Study were tightly closed, and Li Fang sighed inwardly.

After the emperor bestowed the elixir during the Dragon Boat Festival, he took the elixir and said that he absorbed the vital energy within it, thus becoming immune to the summer heat. Therefore, the doors and windows of the imperial study were kept closed all day.

Upon entering the imperial study, Li Fang felt a wave of heat. He loosened his robe and felt more comfortable.

Emperor Longqing, however, was still wearing his winter imperial robes and sat on the dragon throne looking at something.

Upon seeing the three officials from the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Longqing Emperor asked:

"But did Su Zilin submit a memorial requesting permission to send troops to the grasslands?"

The emperor has been studying these days, harboring a strong desire to avenge his humiliation and wanting to send troops to the grasslands.

Just as Anda raised an army, the emperor was actually very excited.

These despicable civil officials in the outer court are still discussing abandoning Dongshengwei at this time.

Therefore, Emperor Longqing waited for Su Ze's memorial to the throne.

The emperor was just waiting for Su Ze to submit a memorial supporting the dispatch of troops, so that he could order Qi Jiguang's army to march north!

Upon receiving Su Ze's memorial, Emperor Longqing frowned. Su Ze's memorial was not a request to abandon Dongshengwei, nor a request to take the initiative to send troops, but a request to send an envoy to negotiate peace.

After reading Su Ze's memorial, the emperor said with dissatisfaction:
"Is there no one in the entire court who desires war?"

Having ascertained the emperor's intentions, Li Fang spoke even more cautiously:

"The outer court is discussing abandoning Dongsheng."

The Longqing Emperor said with even greater dissatisfaction:
“These scholars! If they hadn’t abandoned Dongsheng, how could the Gengxu Incident have happened? I must resolve the Northern Barbarians and not leave any future troubles for my descendants.”

Longqing looked at Li Fang and asked:

"I intend to personally lead the expedition; what do you think?"

Li Fang was dumbfounded. He had thought the emperor was getting arrogant, but he never imagined the emperor was this arrogant.

A personal expedition?

Li Fang is so old, she doesn't want to be like Wang Zhen anymore.

Li Fang could only persuade him for a long time before finally dissuading the emperor from his idea of ​​personally leading the expedition.

"Then let's keep Su Ze's memorial in the central government."

Although he abandoned the idea of ​​personally leading the army, Emperor Longqing still decided to take action. He would wait for the Anda tribe to rise up, and then issue an edict to Qi Jiguang to send troops.

Emerging from the Imperial Study, the three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs exchanged glances and reached a tacit understanding—they had to persuade the emperor to abandon the idea of ​​sending troops!

However, all three knew that the emperor was in high spirits, and if they spoiled the mood at this time, they would damage their influence in the emperor's eyes.

So none of the three spoke up, and no one stepped forward.

Li Fang and Feng Bao were both thinking of reporting today's events to the cabinet and asking the cabinet elders to stop the emperor.

Thus, the three returned to the Directorate of Ceremonial. At this time, a junior eunuch announced that Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, had returned from offering sacrifices at the ancestral tombs outside the city and had delivered his decree.

Upon hearing this news, Li Fang, Feng Bao, and Chen Hong's eyes lit up!
A moment later, the Longqing Emperor looked at Li Fang and the other two who had returned with a puzzled expression. He then heard Li Fang say:
"Your Majesty, Duke Dingguo requests an audience."

Upon hearing the name Duke of Dingguo, the Longqing Emperor became somewhat excited.

With the Duke of Cheng seriously ill, the Duke of Ding became the most powerful nobleman.

Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, was steady and reliable, which earned him praise from the outer court and a good image among the civil officials.

If I want to send troops but the civil officials don't support me, all I need is the support of the nobles!

"Hurry up!"

A short while later, Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi, looking travel-worn, arrived at the Imperial Study.

After reporting the results of the sacrificial ceremony to the emperor, the Longqing Emperor asked with great interest:

"Are the ancestral tombs well?"

Xu Wenbi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said:

"The ancestral mausoleum is well, Your Majesty can rest assured."

I heard there are no unusual signs at the ancestral tomb. Does that mean my ancestors supported my decision to send troops?

The Longqing Emperor then explained his plans for sending troops, even hinting that he would personally lead the expedition.

After hearing this, Xu Wenbi was stunned.

Although Xu Wenbi was a military general and meritorious official, he only had two jobs in his life: one was to serve as the leader of the Red Helmet Generals for the emperor, which was the captain of the security force, and the other was to assist the emperor in sacrificial rites, which was the position of the Grand Priest of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, what is the background of the Duke of Dingguo's lineage?
Xu Wenbi's ancestor, Xu Zengshou, was the third son of Xu Da, a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. During the Jingnan Campaign, he was executed by the Jianwen Emperor for secretly passing messages to Zhu Di.

After the Jingnan Campaign, Emperor Chengzu bestowed the title of Duke of Dingguo upon Xu Zengshou's lineage, which has been passed down to this day.

The family's traditional skill was "judging the situation and assessing the circumstances," and they were always cautious and prudent.

During the Tumu Crisis, Bao Zong led the nobles of the capital on a personal expedition. The then Duke of Cheng died in battle, but the then Duke of Ding insisted on opposing the war and was kept in the capital by Bao Zong.

The Duke of Dingguo who remained in the capital did not participate in the subsequent palace coup. The Duke of Dingguo's lineage enjoyed increasing favor and was now unparalleled among the nobles.

Xu Wenbi immediately said:
"Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible!"

The Longqing Emperor looked at Xu Wenbi, the foremost of the meritorious officials, and immediately said:

“Your Majesty! Although Commander Qi is skilled in battle, his southern troops have only been in the north for half a year and may not be familiar with the terrain. Moreover, the southern troops number less than 20,000. Although they are elite, they are still too few compared to Anda’s 200,000 troops!”

"Now that the capital garrison is exhausted, if Datong suffers any mishap, how can I face my ancestors!"

Xu Wenbi, being the High Priest of the Empire, used his skill of crying at the temple. This action seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly calming the Longqing Emperor down.

Yes, during Emperor Yingzong's reign, the Beijing garrison was still capable of fighting, but even so, they ended up being captured by the Oirat Mongols.

Nowadays, apart from Qi Jiguang's troops in Datong, the other border troops in the north are more than capable of defending, but it would be difficult to get them to attack.

Meanwhile, the garrison troops stationed near the capital were already incapacitated.

Not to mention the Beijing Garrison, even descendants of meritorious officials like Xu Wenbi have gradually transformed from military families into imperial nobles.

Once he calmed down, the emperor's emotions dissipated instantly. After all, the Longqing Emperor was a relatively pragmatic ruler. He said to Xu Wenbi:
"Your words come from the bottom of your heart, and I will certainly consider them further." Upon hearing this, the three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial all breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor's statement meant that he had abandoned his idea of ​​military expansion.

"A reward of fifty gold coins will be given to the Duke of Dingguo."

After seeing Xu Wenbi off, the Longqing Emperor picked up Su Ze's memorial from his desk.

The emperor broke out in a sweat, feeling unbearably hot in the room. He said to the palace servants:

"Open the doors and windows of the Imperial Study!"

The cool night breeze blew into the palace, and the emperor finally calmed down completely.

Su Ze's memorial was correct; now is indeed not a good time to wage war.

He picked up the imperial brush and then said to Li Fang:
"Is it really possible that Anda will submit within three years, as Su Zilin stated in his memorial?"

Li Fang hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Your Majesty, I am ignorant of military affairs."

The emperor then looked at Feng Bao, who also lowered his head.

He looked at Chen Hong again, and Chen Hong said:

“Your Majesty, I am not knowledgeable in military affairs, but since Su Hanlin entered officialdom, all his proposals have been successful. He said it would be successful in three years, and I believe it will be successful in three years.”

The Longqing Emperor laughed heartily. He picked up his imperial brush, approved Su Ze's memorial, and handed it to Li Fang, saying:

"Then I will grant him the title of Su Ershu."
-
May 21st, today is the end of the ten-day holiday.

Su Ze originally planned to accompany his pregnant wife to visit Zhao Zhenji's family, but Shen Shixing invited him to go instead.

Zhao Lingxian said very considerately:
"My lord, you may go now. I will return to the Zhao residence myself."

At Zhao Lingxian's insistence, Su Ze had no choice but to accept the invitation to come to the Suzhou Guild Hall.

Today, in addition to Shen Shixing, his close friend from the same year, Wang Xijue, is also present.

The three were already very familiar with each other. After exchanging greetings, Shen Shixing led Su Ze into the clubhouse.

"Brother Zilin, guess who we've come to visit today?"

This result is not hard to guess; those who could stay at the Suzhou Guild Hall must have been celebrities from Suzhou Prefecture.

The name that Shen Shixing would personally come to pay his respects to is obvious.

Su Ze asked, "Could it be Mr. Yanzhou?"

Shen Shixing looked at Wang Xijue, who sighed and said, "Brother Rumo understands Brother Zilin best. This problem is no challenge for Brother Zilin at all."

After saying that, Wang Xijue took out a brass coin from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Shixing.

It turns out the two of them had made a bet with themselves.

Su Ze felt a little nervous inside.

I just recommended Wang Shizhen to Gao Gong so that he could be sent as an envoy to the grasslands. If Wang Shizhen finds out that I arranged such a dangerous mission for him, will he kick me out?
Before long, the three arrived at a guest room, where a number of people had already gathered, but the pageboy guarded them and prevented them from entering.

Upon seeing Shen Shixing, the pageboy immediately waved to him. Shen Shixing then pulled Su Ze and Wang Xijue to the door of the guest room, and the pageboy promptly opened the door to let the three of them in.

"Why won't you let us in! We've also come to pay our respects to Mr. Yanzhou!"

The companion next to him quickly pulled the person who was shouting and said:
"Stop arguing! Don't you even know who just went in!"

"who is it?"

"You don't even recognize the top scholar from Suzhou Prefecture? The man next to you is Wang Xijue, the runner-up in that list, and he's also from Suzhou Prefecture!"

"The third one is even more remarkable. He is Su Ze, also known as Su Zilin, who is now rising to fame in the capital. He is also from our Suzhou Prefecture!"

After the three people were introduced, the troublemaker immediately fell silent.

Given their identities, these three individuals certainly didn't need to queue to meet Wang Shizhen.

Wang Shizhen is actually not that old; she is only forty-three years old this year.

However, he passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-one and had a long career in officialdom, so for the three of them, Wang Shizhen was a senior official from the same hometown.

Wang Shizhen had a weak spleen and a thin face, but her eyes were very bright.

Looking at the three young men, Wang Shizhen was in a very good mood and ordered the steward to bring wine and dishes.

Shen Shixing quickly said:
"Mr. Yanzhou, you must be tired from your journey to Beijing. Perhaps you should refrain from drinking alcohol."

The person in charge also looked at Wang Shizhen with persuasive eyes, but Wang Shizhen stubbornly said:
"How can hospitality be complete without good wine? Quickly go and prepare some wine."

Seeing that Shen Shixing was still trying to persuade him, Su Ze gently tugged at him and gave Shen Shixing a look, so Shen Shixing had no choice but to give up.

Those who become literary masters are generally those with rich emotions and clear likes and dislikes; otherwise, they would not be able to write such magnificent articles.

Wang Shizhen's personality was similar; he was warm towards his friends and utterly hateful towards his enemies.

Of course, the means by which scholars take revenge is to "kill" with their pens. Given the low historical status of Yan Song and his son, many of the anecdotes were written by Wang Shizhen.

It should be noted that although Yan Song was a treacherous official, he was extremely literate and had pen pals with masters of the philosophy of mind such as Wang Yangming and Zhan Ruoshui. He was also a leading figure in the literary world.

However, after Yan Song's downfall, his status in the literary world was completely erased, which shows how powerful the pen can be in killing.

After he and Zhang Juzheng became enemies, he left behind many anecdotes about Zhang Juzheng for posterity.

However, Wang Shizhen was still very grateful to Zhang Juzheng at this time. He even invited Zhang Juzheng to write a preface for his own collection of essays, "Yanzhoutang Bieji". Although Zhang Juzheng declined, he still wrote an article for him, which was also included in Wang Shizhen's collection of essays.

The steward brought a banquet, and Wang Shizhen led the three to the banquet, where they talked about literature.

Those present were all top performers in the imperial examinations, and they came from a culturally prosperous place like Suzhou Prefecture, so naturally they found themselves getting along very well.

Wang Shizhen was indeed a literary giant, capable of uttering countless memorable quotes with ease. His literary views were somewhat similar to Xu Wei's, advocating "the theory of true feelings," which meant that the emotions in an article should come from the heart.

Su Ze wholeheartedly agreed with this point. After Wang Shizhen finished explaining her theory of true feelings, she looked at Su Ze and asked:

"What are Su Zilin's views on the current literary scene since he took over the management of the Yuefu Xinbao?"

Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue also looked at Su Ze, as they were also curious about Su Ze's literary ideas.

Literary ideals and academic ideals may differ, but both are important characteristics of a scholar.

Su Ze's academic reputation is based on practical learning, but his articles are mainly argumentative and rarely show off his literary skills. Even during his time as an official, he has not had any poems or lyrics circulated.

It's quite normal these days to write poems as a parting gift or to exchange poems with friends.

Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
"Those who achieve great things and profound knowledge throughout history must pass through three realms."

Wang Shizhen held her wine glass and looked at Su Ze with a smile.

“‘Last night the west wind withered the green trees, I climbed alone to the top of the tower, and gazed to the ends of the earth.’ This is the first realm.”

"wonderful!"

Wang Shizhen's eyes lit up, and he quickly put down his wine cup.

"'I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her.' This is the second realm."

Wang Shizhen leaned forward, his eyes burning with fervor, and asked:
"What about the third realm?"

(End of this chapter)