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

Chapter 164 Becoming a纨绔 (wán kù, a spoiled, dissolute young man) who has transcended vulgar interests!

"You are spoiled brats of the capital, and you should distinguish yourselves from the spoiled brats outside the capital!"

"We people of the capital should have a broad perspective. How can we be as shallow as those soldiers? Their bullying of men and women is utterly despicable!"

"My disciples! You must have vision! You must dedicate yourselves wholeheartedly to the court and to His Majesty!"

"The opportunity to contribute to the country is now before you. You must think about whether this is the only opportunity you will have in your life."

“My disciples! You are not good-for-nothings who just want to eat and wait to die, but valuable talents! In my Xishan Deyun Society, you will not suffer any losses or be deceived, and you will even gain the admiration of millions of people. Isn’t this kind of honor better than staying at home?”

Xishan Thousand Household Office.

On the training ground behind the school, a strange scene unfolded: dozens of young men in fine clothes stood upright, trembling with fear, in a neat row, afraid of making the slightest mistake.

Faced with Zhang Yunxiu's reprimand, they looked excited and kept shouting something.

"Yes, Instructor!"

We will certainly remember this!

"I want to be a spoiled brat who transcends vulgar interests!"

Zhang Yunxiu walked back and forth with his hands behind his back and a pointer in his hand, giving instructions as he did so.

He was dressed in the uniform of a third-rank military officer, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist, exuding an imposing and dignified air.

No spoiled brat dared to act recklessly in front of Zhang Yunxiu.

What? You say I'm lying? Then drag him out and break his legs!
It's not that Zhang Yunxiu likes to bully people.

The main reason is that the Xishan Deyun Society is severely lacking in manpower. Even after gathering storytellers and entertainers from all over the capital, the strong demand from the Xishan workers still cannot be met.

Especially now that the Xishan Deyun Society is becoming increasingly popular, it is not only loved by the workers of Xishan, but also by the idle young masters in the capital.

Ancient people had limited entertainment options, unlike people in later generations who had a wide variety of ways to pass the time.

These pampered young men, who had no worries about food or clothing, found their greatest pleasure in visiting prostitutes. But one can't live only for the sake of one's lower body.

In the back and forth, the simple venue of Xishan Deyun Society was actually more fun than the capital city.

Many young noblemen spend lavishly in an attempt to squeeze into Deyun Society and watch a crosstalk performance.

Seeing this, Zhang Yunxiu had some ideas.

The Xishan Theater is only a basic structure; it will take some time before it is fully completed.

Since that's the case, let's just get these unemployed people involved and have them learn crosstalk performance together.

This second generation is definitely going to be involved in the arts!
Those who can come here are basically not the eldest sons of their families, unable to inherit their family titles, and have limited abilities, making it difficult for them to seek an official position in the imperial court.

On a daily basis, the people I had the most contact with were the actors from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) and all sorts of frivolous and unproductive fictional novels!
With both experience and literacy, where can you find such a promising talent?
"You should take Zhu Yinghuai and Zhang Yuanhao as your role models and diligently learn the art of crosstalk, so as not to disappoint them."

Zhang Yunxiu was thinking of teaching these spoiled brats a lesson, but unexpectedly, his fourth brother, Zhang Jianxiu, rushed over in a hurry.

His face was full of panic, and he whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhang Yunxiu frowned deeply as he spoke.

"Uncle Zhang is here? What trouble is he causing in Xishan?"

Inside the main hall of the Thousand Households Office, Zhang Juzheng sat at the head of the table, took a sip of the Pu'er tea beside him, glanced at Zhu Yinghuai who was sitting restlessly in front of him, and asked a question.

"The Capital's Spoiled Rich Kids Reformation Plan?"

"Exactly."

Zhu Yinghuai was somewhat afraid of Zhang Juzheng, but his body trembled with excitement whenever the matter was mentioned.

"Does the Grand Secretary not know? Our Master is the role model for all the纨绔 (playboys) in the capital, big and small. Our Master is our leader. Every word he says is correct and should be regarded as the golden rule!"

He was breathing heavily.

"Our master is a kind-hearted person. He couldn't bear to see us living in a daze, so he found a broad road for us spoiled young masters who were unloved by our parents!"

"A broad road?"

Zhang Juzheng nearly dropped his teacup. He said with a strange expression, "You've all fallen for that kid's trick. You believe everything he says? It's utterly absurd!"

"Your Excellency is mistaken!"

But Zhu Yinghuai still defended Zhang Yunxiu and mustered up his courage to reply.

"We are doing what we love, and living out the true meaning of life!"

"you!"

Zhang Juzheng rubbed his forehead, feeling waves of throbbing pain.

Don't believe what he said.

He was about to offer some words of advice when he heard footsteps outside the door. He immediately recognized that it was Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Juzheng sighed heavily and said, "Alright, you may go now. I'd like to speak with Shiyuan."

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhu Yinghuai left respectfully and obediently.

As Zhang Juzheng watched the other person's departing figure, he was filled with mixed emotions.

What methods did Zhang Yunxiu use to make this group of spoiled brats so devoted to him?
After waiting for a while, Zhang Yunxiu strode in, first sized up his father, and then reluctantly bowed and said...

"Your child greets Father!"

Zhang Juzheng gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and glanced at Zhang Jianxiu and the group of Imperial Guards behind him.

"You may all leave now."

Once only the two of them remained in the hall, Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes and spoke leisurely.

"Shiyuan, what were you doing just now?"

Zhang Yunxiu sat down naturally in the lower seat, a smile on his face, and said, "Let me tell you, Father, I conducted a training session for all the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who have spoiled children) in the capital, and the results were remarkable!"
These people were all wicked and evildoers in and around the capital. Now, I am determined to reform them and help them build a better future for our Great Ming Dynasty.”

Zhang Yunxiu's rambling words made Zhang Juzheng's scalp tingle, and he said helplessly.

"So, your so-called 'spoiled brat reformation plan'?"

He was even a little curious.

How can you convince them?

Zhang Yunxiu said arrogantly, "Because I'm their leader."

"???"

"Father doesn't know?" Zhang Yunxiu smiled slyly. "Ever since I sent you to the clinic, you've become the object of emulation for all the纨绔子弟 (spoiled young men) in and around the capital."

They admired my courage and were naturally convinced of my abilities!

This self-praise sounds like something a child would say to their father.

But Zhang Juzheng had already seen through his youngest son's trick, and said with a helpless tone.

"You hit them?"

"Father!" Zhang Yunxiu said with an upright and righteous demeanor. "Am I, Zhang Yunxiu, the kind of person who resorts to violence at the drop of a hat?"

"So, you still beat some of the people?" Zhang Juzheng knew his youngest son all too well.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhang Yunxiu's face, then he said seriously, "That's not quite accurate. Father once taught me that the art of managing people lies in using both kindness and severity."
More importantly, we must instill a sense of belonging in them and gradually strengthen their ideological education.

The key lies in using group pressure to divide dissenters and create a herd mentality... resorting to violence is merely a poor strategy.

Zhang Juzheng's eyes widened.

When did I ever teach this kind of thing?

It doesn't sound like the principles from the Four Books and Five Classics, but rather like the teachings of a heretical cult like the White Lotus Sect, or some kind of trickery in the martial arts world!

But the youngest son spoke with great conviction.

Zhang Juzheng felt his scalp tingle and finally couldn't bear it any longer, so he slammed his hand on the table and said...

"Zhang Shiyuan! Aren't you afraid of offending the officials in the capital and going against the tide?"

Many of these spoiled brats were the youngest sons of officials and nobles in the capital, and they were spoiled by their families from a young age.

If this were to affect the work points of officials of all ranks in the capital, it would be a difficult problem to solve.
Zhang Yunxiu said with some surprise, "What do you mean by going against the tide? Doesn't Father know that whether the officials in the capital support us or not is not because of whether we treat them with proper etiquette, but ultimately it's all about profit!"
Besides, I'm doing this for their own good.

To be honest, Zhang Yunxiu put in a lot of effort to deal with this group of spoiled brats, and even used many psychological techniques from later generations.

Such as obedience to authority, cognitive dissonance, social needs, foot-in-the-door effect, etc.

These theories, which are commonplace in later generations, proved effective on the ancients, making it arguably the first large-scale psychological practice in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Juzheng, of course, would not understand, and he glared angrily.

"You're quite the smooth talker; you speak so eloquently!"

The more his youngest son behaved this way, the stronger Zhang Juzheng's sense of crisis became.

He suppressed his anger and tried to calm himself down.

Clearly, there is one thing that is more important.

Seated upright, Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply and said, "Enough of this matter for now. I have a question that you must answer."

"A question?"

Zhang Yunxiu frowned, knowing that the other party had fallen into his old habit again, always wanting to discuss Confucianism in the form of a question-and-answer session.

However, Zhang Yunxiu was not afraid of this, and he said with a smile.

"Father, please speak freely."

Zhang Juzheng, with a complex expression, took a sip of tea and spoke slowly.

"It has been a long time since I tested your studies."

I used to see you often; you wrote some vernacular novels, like "The Case of Di Renjie of the Tang Dynasty," so I suppose you know a lot about Wu Zetian.

He paused, then squinted and said.

Wu Zetian once said in her "Chapter on Loyalty and Conduct of a Minister": "It is said that the loyal ministers of ancient times served their rulers by not seeking favor through flattery, nor by seeking pleasure through illicit alliances. They did not use evil to undermine righteousness, nor did they harm the public interest for private gain."
How do you understand this?

Zhang Yunxiu was stunned for a moment.

Goodness, this time they're not testing me on the Four Books and Five Classics, but on some book by Empress Wu Zetian.

Fortunately, he was exceptionally intelligent. After a brief moment of thought, he realized that the "Rules for Ministers" was a book written by Empress Wu Zetian in the second year of the Shangyuan era, specifically to discuss the way of being a minister.

By considering the context, one can quickly understand its meaning.

It is nothing more than this: when a subject serves his monarch, he should do his utmost and should not flatter or fawn upon the monarch, let alone use evil deeds to undermine integrity, and so on.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yunxiu realized that his father was referring to him.

It seems the truth has been revealed.

But of all the things I've done, which one has finally come to light?
He didn't feel comfortable asking, but after thinking for a moment, he commented.

"Although Wu Zetian was a woman, regardless of her achievements, she was still very skilled in the art of ruling the emperor."

What she said makes some sense, but I have a question.

"doubt?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply. In his mind, after he said these words, the other party should have realized something and then confess all the crimes he had committed!
But then Zhang Yunxiu said, "Father asked a question based on Wu Zetian's 'The Rules for Ministers,' so I will ask Father a question based on a line from the 'Book of Changes.'"

　Note 1: Wu Zetian's "The Chapter on Loyalty and Compassion of a Minister" reads: "It is said that loyal ministers of old served their rulers with utmost devotion and effort. They held positions commensurate with their talents and received salaries according to their abilities. They did not seek favor through flattery or feign compliance. They did everything in their power to benefit the public. Above, they ensured the ruler's honor and the country's stability; below, they enriched the people and brought prosperity. Internally, they corrected the ruler's mistakes; externally, they praised the ruler's virtues. They did not use evil to undermine righteousness, nor did they harm the public good for private gain."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)