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

Chapter 221: Father and Son Discuss the Dao at Dongling Mountain! Two poems were composed!
Zhang Juzheng took it seriously and was determined to compete with himself.

It was as if this climb to the summit had become a contest between the two in the political arena.

Zhang Yunxiu is young and healthy, and he has never missed a workout these days, but he can't keep up with his father's fierce efforts!
He still had some sense of propriety. Zhang Juzheng was only fifty years old, but his health was still weak. Given his stubborn nature, he would definitely try his best to catch up.

I fear that his frail and aged body will not be able to withstand such torment, and he may very well perish on this Eastern Spirit Mountain.

With this in mind, Zhang Yunxiu did not push him too hard, keeping a certain distance in his pursuit of his father, deliberately maintaining a position where he was about to catch up but had not yet caught up.

After all, he came to reason with people, not to compete in mountain climbing.

But Zhang Juzheng saw this and immediately started cursing.

"You unfilial son! How dare you humiliate your old man like this!"

But Zhang Yunxiu remained defiant and did as he pleased, and Zhang Juzheng, of course, still refused to back down.

"The Grand Secretary and the Master are secretly vying for power, but I'm making us suffer along with them."

Zhao Shizhen, panting heavily, leaned against a tree, his whole body already soaked in sweat.

Fortunately, it was midsummer and the weather was still warm, so there was no risk of catching a cold.

"Old man, old man"

Shen Shixing was so exhausted that he couldn't speak. He took a few breaths before managing to speak.

"When will we reach the summit? I feel I have been climbing for quite some time, but why can't I see the summit yet?"

Zhao Shizhen said with some surprise, "Grand Secretary Shen, please don't be in such a hurry. We've only just reached the halfway point up the mountain."

"."

Seeing Shen Shixing's ashen face, Zhao Shizhen smiled slightly and said.

"Don't be discouraged, Grand Secretary Shen. There is a small pavilion halfway up the mountain ahead, with a stream beside it, which is just the right place to rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shixing regained some of his enthusiasm.

For a scholar like him, who spends most of his time at his desk, climbing to a high place to look into the distance sounds very elegant, but in practice, it is extremely difficult.

In comparison, as he climbed higher, Zhang Juzheng became increasingly adept at it.

He was already tall, and with the professional care he received at Renmin Medical Center, his health had actually improved considerably compared to before.

Otherwise, given Zhang Juzheng's previous physical condition, he would have fainted long ago.

Seeing that they were almost halfway up the mountain, Zhang Yunxiu took two quick steps forward, intending to overtake his father.

Even a horse can stumble. He was pulling a sapling, but it didn't realize that the roots were not solid, and he slipped and almost fell.

Just as he was about to fall, a strong hand caught him from behind.

Zhang Yunxiu looked somewhat embarrassed.

But Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "You keep talking about borrowing external forces, but you don't realize that external forces have their limits. How can you succeed if you rely entirely on them?"

I was thinking of teaching my dad a lesson, but instead I got a lesson from him instead.

But Zhang Yunxiu didn't care about that. Instead, he took a few quick steps and stepped onto the flat ground, saying nonchalantly.

"With my father's help, what do I have to fear?"

Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched.

A shameless person is invincible, and with his youngest son's rascal nature, he really had no way to deal with him.

The two rested briefly in a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

There was tea prepared in advance in the pavilion. After drinking some tea and washing the sweat off my face in the stream, I felt quite refreshed.

Sitting in the pavilion, Zhang Juzheng looked at the workshops at the foot of the mountain and the cement houses of Xishan Village, and suddenly asked a question.

"How do you plan to use that cement?"

"It's nothing more than building bridges and paving roads. Its most important feature is its incredible speed; it can make a city rise from the ground in just a few months and can be used to build fortresses to defend against foreign enemies."

"Is this your method of defending against foreign enemies? I'm afraid it's not that easy."

Zhang Yunxiu offered another explanation: "Everything in the world has its own rules. Although cement is good, it still requires supporting materials and other aspects for large-scale production. It is feasible on a small scale now, but if we want to promote it nationwide, we will definitely need a complete industrial chain, as well as sufficient labor and demand."

"How to do it? There's no small amount of resistance from Xishan."

“Promote new learning and break the old order with new momentum.” Zhang Yunxiu said confidently. “Father only knows that I have many enemies, but he doesn’t know that I also have many friends. Countless people in the capital are counting on Xishan to make money, even the emperor is one of them.”

"Then why shouldn't things be accomplished in the Western Hills?"

Upon hearing the word "emperor," Zhang Juzheng's face darkened again, and he stood up and spoke.

"It's getting late. I really want to go up to the top of that mountain and see what it's like. But do I still have the strength?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "If Father is too weak, I can still carry you down the mountain."

"What a loud tone!"

Despite seeing the father and son, they still insisted on continuing the competition.

Zhao Shizhen and Shen Shixing, who were resting to the side, looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

After crossing the stream halfway up the mountain, you enter a forest of scattered rocks, where you can see inscriptions left by visitors from previous dynasties.

"This is Hudumu script, left over from the Mongol Yuan period, which is probably more than two hundred years ago."

"What does it say?" Zhang Yunxiu asked, stroking the uneven, weathered stone walls.

"I don't know."

Zhang Juzheng, of course, had no understanding of the Yuan Dynasty's script; he simply sighed and said something.

"The world has changed drastically in just two hundred years, yet the inscriptions on the stone wall have become blurred and illegible. I wonder what the Ming Dynasty will be like two hundred years from now?"

Zhang Yunxiu said without any mercy, "The Ming Dynasty had already perished by then."

"."

Zhang Juzheng's expression suddenly stiffened. Unwilling to speak to his rebellious son any longer, he turned and began climbing towards the mountain peak.

The higher you climb, the sparser the surrounding vegetation becomes, with only one or two ancient pines standing alone in the cracks of the rocks.

The two spoke less and less, and their pace quickened.

Zhang Juzheng would occasionally turn his head to gaze into the distance, catching not only glimpses of the Western Hills workshops but also a corner of the capital city in the distance, which stirred his heart. He gritted his teeth, seemingly determined to climb to the top of that peak.

As the surrounding scenery flashed by, Zhang Yunxiu seemed to slow down. In Zhang Juzheng's eyes, all that remained was the mountaintop ahead.

Finally, I took a step and reached the summit, where a sudden sense of openness and tranquility washed over me.

A refreshing, sweet scent wafted over me.

"We've made it!"

Zhang Juzheng's voice trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but look around.

The scenery here is superb, offering views not only of the Western Hills but also glimpses of the surrounding mountains.

Looking into the distance, one can see the capital city walls spread out like a chessboard across the distant plains.

The wind howled, whipping at my clothes, and for a moment I felt as if I wanted to ride the wind and go home.

Zhang Juzheng was deeply moved, and a surge of passion was about to burst forth from the depths of his heart.

His wide robe was covered with pebbles and grass clippings. Leaning against an old pine tree, his voice gradually rose and became louder, and a poem emerged spontaneously.

"A lone peak, shrouded in twilight mist, I am unaware that I am atop the verdant summit. A chill rises as the bells and chimes begin to chime through the night, and I rise to sit cross-legged under the full moon. Illusions and illusions vanish with all forms, and the awakened mind, unilluminating, is illuminated by a single burning lamp."

Tomorrow morning I will seek the road to Zhuling again, traversing the purple clouds yet still not returning!

Upon hearing this poem, Zhang Yunxiu, who was following behind, was taken aback.

After all, Zhang Juzheng was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and left behind many of his writings for posterity.

Today, I witnessed him reciting poems and lyrics with my own eyes.

For a moment, he could feel the spirit and ambition in his father Zhang Juzheng's heart from the poem.

The so-called "dust and dream" and "the extinction of all phenomena" are nothing more than a transcendence of worldly fame and fortune. The "awakened mind" does not need external things, only inner self-sufficiency.

"Zhuling Road" is a path of spiritual practice, and "treading through the purple clouds" shows even more perseverance, yet it seems like a line of poetry that someone like Zhang Juzheng could write.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu was filled with emotion.

Looking back at history, my father was indeed a man who took political maneuvering to its extreme.

At the same time, he is also an extremely idealistic person.

It can be said that Zhang Juzheng, the father of the Wanli Emperor, promoted the "Wanli New Deal" with the intention of "devoting himself to the world with a sincere heart," but this "excessive authoritarianism" drew criticism from the world.

History can comment on the pros and cons of the "Wanli New Deal," but one thing cannot be denied: Zhang Juzheng harbored a heart dedicated to saving the country and was unafraid of fame before or after his death.

However, driven by passion and ambition, he insisted on pushing forward with reforms regardless of his own safety, ultimately leading to the destruction of his family and the death of his loved ones.

Is this enough to reverse the decline of the Ming Dynasty?
Zhang Yunxiu didn't think so. He stood behind him, narrowed his eyes, and began to consider things.

"This poem by the Grand Secretary is quite powerful!"

Not far away, Zhao Shizhen slumped to the ground, letting out a sigh.

"Your Excellency has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the country, and we are far inferior to him."

Seeing this scene, Shen Shixing's eyes couldn't help but redden.

Over the years, the implementation of the new policies has encountered numerous difficulties and obstacles, much like climbing this peak, but ultimately some results have been achieved.

But in the end, they found that such efforts were nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Even if they tried their best, the overwhelming momentum seemed unstoppable.
Just like the line "Tomorrow morning I will seek the road to Zhuling again, traversing the purple clouds yet still not returning", the search for a way out of the Ming Dynasty is like visiting a celestial abode, with the sea of ​​clouds vast and the mountain roads treacherous.

Never ending!

Moved by the sight of the magnificent landscape, Shen Shixing exclaimed, "Though the path may be fraught with peril, we too can forge ahead with determination!"

But Zhang Juzheng had a different idea. He stared intently at his young son and spoke as if he were giving a lesson.

“Since the Chenghua era, the Ming Dynasty has been plagued by corruption in its officialdom, arrogance among the imperial family, laxity among the lower officials, and severe financial losses. It has reached a point where reform is imperative.”

He let out a sigh.

"Since the implementation of the new policies, the administration has gradually become more efficient and the national treasury has become increasingly full, and there is already a sense of prosperity."

You have benefited the world with your diverse knowledge, comparable to Gongshu Ban of ancient times.

However, in the past few months, its sharp edge has become fully apparent.

Now, if we bring up the principles of 'new learning' again, aren't we afraid that all the Confucian scholars in the world will rise up and attack us, causing all our previous efforts to be in vain?

From the perspective of a Confucian scholar, it was almost impossible for Zhang Juzheng to oppose Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

From "modern medicine" to "mechanical colleges", and now to "going global" and "the theory of celestial sphere".

Zhang Juzheng was keenly aware that Zhang Yunxiu not only wanted to promote reforms and suppress the gentry and powerful, but also wanted to fundamentally undermine the social foundation of traditional Confucianism.

This is almost intolerable.

Zhang Yunxiu didn't expect the other party to notice so quickly.

Replacing traditional Confucianism with a variant of Yangming's philosophy is an essential aspect of reform.

Simply put, the development of productive forces alone is not enough. If there is no progress in thinking, it will be difficult for one person to drive change in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Yunxiu understood this very well and was secretly promoting it.

He wasn't in a hurry to explain, and looked at the crimson sky.

As dusk approached, the setting sun in the west lost its brilliance, resembling a perfectly round red cinnabar ball nestled among the distant mountains.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "Since Father has composed a poem, I will also join in the fun and express my aspirations through poetry, so that Father may know what new learning is and what true new policies are!"

"You can write poetry too?"

"Father, listen carefully."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled. He wouldn't utter a word about other poems, but when it came to poems expressing one's aspirations, he was wide awake.

He immediately paced around a few times, then his gaze fell on the distant blazing sun, and he recited the words one by one.

"The sky is high and the clouds are light, I gaze until the wild geese fly south. I have not yet reached Dongling Mountain, for my ambition is not great, for the journey ahead is long and arduous. On the peaks of Dongling Mountain, red banners flutter in the west wind."

"Today we hold the long spear in our hands, when will we bind the azure dragon?!"

(End of this chapter)