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

Chapter 4 A Red Robe Under the Forbidden City
Leaving the Forbidden City.

They were out of the little eunuch's sight.

Zhang Yunxiu was finally able to vent his frustrations.

"That damned emperor! He won't even give a thousand taels of silver!"

He cursed as he boarded the carriage to return home.

However, Zhang Yunxiu was mentally prepared.

Historically, Emperor Wanli was known as a miserly person who loved money more than anything.

Just now, Zhang Yunxiu mentioned starting a newspaper, and he talked about it in a very grand and exaggerated way.

"To gather the opinions of scholars from all over the world, to spread the truth of all principles, and to criticize current malpractices!"

"Your Majesty, do not let the 'pure stream' monopolize the discourse!"

"Your Majesty, if you just invest a small share, you'll make money like water from now on!"

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't want to be bullied by those civil officials every day, would you?"

Emperor Wanli looked at Zhang Yunxiu with a strange expression, as if to say, "Isn't it your father who bullied me?"
In short, Zhang Yunxiu talked until he had exhausted all his words, but Emperor Wanli still didn't open his wallet.

The emperor even squinted and spoke with a suspicious look.

"You're not going to write a folk tale like 'Jin Ping Mei'?"

Zhang Yunxiu was very angry.

How dare this damned emperor slander me out of thin air! Do you think I, Zhang Yunxiu, am the kind of person who sells obscene publications?!

Unless I can't make any money and am about to go bankrupt, I would never do such a despicable thing!
However, Zhang Yunxiu's trip was not in vain.

"The Legend of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty" brought him closer to the emperor.

The newspaper was also informed by the emperor, and its publication would inevitably attract the attention of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The emperor may not care about the newspapers he runs, but it is very important to report to the "leader" and take the "leader" seriously.

This is where Zhang Yunxiu differs from his father.

During the days when he had his "golden touch" activated, Zhang Yunxiu analyzed the Wanli Emperor.

Looking at history alone, Emperor Wanli was an extremely sentimental person.

This may stem from his emotional deprivation and insecurity during childhood.

Emperor Jiajing, the grandfather of Emperor Wanli, believed in the saying "two dragons should not meet." How serious was this belief?
The "Chronicle of Ming History" records: "From then on, Princes Yu and Jing were unable to see the emperor for more than ten years."

The fact that neither of Jiajing's sons had seen their father for over a decade shows just how obsessed he was.

Even the Wanli Emperor, who was born, was no exception.

He was to remain completely silent and deaf to all celebratory events within the Prince Yu's residence, ensuring that Jiajing was not allowed to know anything about them.

Since ancient times, princes have been named one hundred days after their birth.

Emperor Wanli did not have a formal name until he was almost five years old, but that was after Jiajing died and his father, Longqing, ascended the throne.

In ancient times, people without names were not included in family genealogies and were almost indistinguishable from wild people.

Emperor Wanli didn't feel it before, but how could he not feel uncomfortable about it when he grew up?
From a young age, Wanli was deeply affected by his grandfather's indifference, his uncle's spying, and the treacherous nature of the court. He felt the coldness of human relationships and cherished the rare friendships he had.

To what extent?
Later, Consort Zheng became extremely favored. In order to ensure that her son could ascend to the position of crown prince, Emperor Wanli was eager to confront all the ministers and start the "Succession Crisis".

Of course, valuing personal relationships is another matter; if you touch upon imperial power, all personal relationships are in vain.

This also explains the awkward situation that Zhang Juzheng, Zhang's father, was in.

Zhang Yunxiu had foreseen this long ago.

He was confident that, without crossing any lines, he could become a close childhood friend of the emperor, like Lu Bing, Jiajing's wet nurse.

It is said that men share three iron bonds: studying together, fighting together, and visiting prostitutes together.

Zhang Yunxiu and the Wanli Emperor were classmates.

If possible, we can take Emperor Wanli to a brothel in the future!

My mind started racing with random thoughts.

"Master, we're here."

The driver's voice came from outside.

"understood."

Having figured these things out, Zhang Yunxiu was filled with energy.

He got up and got out of the car.

Now that the emperor has endorsed it, and with a little more "angel investment," this newspaper can be launched.

As for his father, Zhang Juzheng?
It shouldn't ruin my plans, right?
The weather was cold in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty; even in March, the weather could change in an instant.

In the Forbidden City, the morning was sunny and bright, but in the afternoon it began to snow lightly.

Zhang Juzheng wore black boots, his plain gauze crown was covered with snowflakes, and his vermilion court robes stood out conspicuously against the white snow.

Snowflakes fell on Zhang Juzheng's forehead, but he didn't use an umbrella, letting the snowflakes soak his clothes.

The old eunuch on duty at Donghua Gate, seeing this, quickly opened his oil-paper umbrella and came over to hold it up for the Grand Secretary.

The old eunuch was familiar with Zhang Juzheng and said with a smile, "Eunuch Feng, he instructed us to lead you to the corridor outside the warm pavilion to rest when you see the Grand Secretary."

"Ah."

Zhang Juzheng spoke from his throat, his face expressionless.

"Has His Majesty and the officials of the court not arrived yet?"

The old eunuch said ingratiatingly, "His Majesty said that a timely snowfall has occurred, and today's morning court session will be postponed by half an hour."

Zhang Juzheng glanced at the old eunuch, seemingly somewhat displeased.

The old eunuch added with renewed enthusiasm, "A timely snow promises a bumper harvest; a timely snow promises a bumper harvest. This is a good omen."

"If that's the case, then that's good."

Zhang Juzheng sighed, but ultimately did not lash out, and spoke to the old eunuch.

"There's no need to go to the warm pavilion. I'll go to the Cabinet Office to look at the memorials first."

After hearing what the Grand Secretary said, the old eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"also may."

cabinet.

Despite the relentless wind and snow outside, Zhang Juzheng buried himself in reading and annotating the "Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era" on his desk.

He put pen to paper on the pages of the book.

"After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong destroyed his stele."

The tiny, elegant characters in the imperial style leap off the page.

At that moment, a report came from outside by a eunuch.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty and the other officials have arrived and request your presence."

"Hmm." Zhang Juzheng responded by making a sound through his nose.

He put away the "Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era" before getting up and leaving.

Warm room.

The cabinet ministers and the six ministers and vice ministers gathered here.

After the emperor and his ministers took their seats, Emperor Wanli sat upright on his throne, looking bored and as if he hadn't woken up yet.

The officials of the court stood in two rows. On the left front was Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, and the others, in order of seniority, were Zhang Siwei, Shen Shixing, and others. On the right were officials from the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and other departments.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the Wanli Emperor, who nodded in agreement, and then the Grand Secretary spoke.

"Let's discuss the matter."

In March of the ninth year of the Wanli reign, there were really no major events, just three things: first, the emperor inspected the army at the beginning of the month; second, news of the Mongol invasion of Liaodong arrived in the middle of the month, and the court held sacrifices at the ancestral temples of Heaven and Earth; and third, and most importantly, the implementation of the "Single Whip" law.

"In recent years, the armor produced by the Ordnance Bureau has been crude and wasteful of money and resources. Order that another 5,000 sets be made according to the style seen last time and distributed to the officers and soldiers. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works shall discuss the solution and submit a memorial to the throne."

The speaker was the Wanli Emperor, who had just inspected the troops in the capital at the beginning of the month.

The Wanli Emperor was still somewhat enthusiastic and made a point of mentioning this.

"Your Majesty, we obey your decree." Minister of War Fang Fengshi and Minister of Works Zeng Shengwu stepped forward and acknowledged the order.

After the daily court affairs were discussed, we moved on to today's main event.

Zhang Juzheng presided over the discussion, saying, "Let's discuss all matters related to the Single Whip Law."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yang Wei, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you postpone the Single Whip Law."

Since ancient times, the way to govern a country has always been to equalize wealth and bring peace to the people. This new Single Whip Law, which is ostensibly a merger of taxes and the elimination of malpractices, has good intentions.

In reality, before the Single Whip Law was implemented, people could pay their taxes by paying grain in ordinary years. After its implementation, people had to pay in cash, causing prices to skyrocket.

I have heard that the people in the Northwest and other regions are already filled with resentment and suffering.

I believe that if this law is rashly implemented, it will inevitably lead to displaced people blocking the roads and thieves rising up in the countryside, which is not a blessing for the country!

This law only benefits the scholar-officials while harming the common people!

"Your subject has reported that the tax levied on each tael of whip in Henan Province has been increased to three qian, causing the people to be displaced and homeless."

"Your subject reports that the Single Whip Law has emboldened local officials and clerks to commit even greater crimes."

In reality, even though Zhang Juzheng held absolute power, there were always voices of opposition against him in the court.

Of course, this phenomenon became even more pronounced after the emperor assumed personal rule.

"All right."

The Wanli Emperor, sitting at the head of the table, was somewhat troubled. He threw the question to Zhang Juzheng and said...

"What does the Grand Secretary think?"

Zhang Juzheng remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Normally, in such a situation, he would have his reform officials come out to refute the argument, rather than taking direct action himself.

However, things were different today, and Zhang Juzheng easily came up with the idea.

A few days ago, Zhang Yunxiu's rebellious son's words seemed to come in handy.

He immediately stepped forward and said.

"Your Majesty, the implementation of policies should always benefit the people. Applying one extreme case to another is not a sound approach. Recently, the court has issued a decree that the Single Whip Law should be adapted to local conditions. The key is to try it out. If it is suitable for a certain place, it should be adopted; if it is not suitable, it should not be forced."

Everything was done to relieve the people's suffering and the emperor's worries.

Since Minister Yang is aware of the inconveniences of this method, he should follow the recent imperial edict and submit a memorial to abolish its implementation in the relevant areas, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

These words were so well said that many court officials sighed inwardly, thinking that Zhang Juzheng truly deserved the titles of "child prodigy" and "talented scholar."

What they didn't know was that these words were basically a copy of Zhang Juzheng's words to his young son a few days earlier.

The Wanli Emperor, seated on his throne, narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhang Juzheng with some awe, but still clapped his hands and said...

“The Prime Minister’s words are brilliant; they are words of wisdom for governing the country.”

With these remarks, Yang Wei had already lost ground, leaving his opponents with almost nothing to say. At this point, the reformists launched a counterattack.

Minister of Rites Pan Sheng stepped forward: "I reiterate the Grand Secretary's words. Minister Yang only sees the corruption of clerks and officials, but has not seen the addition of a million hectares of farmland during the land survey."

"Yang Gong was a northerner, unaware of the conveniences of the markets in the southeast. After the implementation of the Single Whip Law in Suzhou, Songjiang, and other places, merchants were exempted from corvée labor, and the number of weaving workshops and households increased daily."

In an instant, all voices opposing the new policies in the imperial court were swept away.

The opposition also fell silent. There was nothing they could do; Zhang Juzheng was still riding high, and the court was full of his cronies. The two vice ministers of the cabinet were basically under his control.

How can we fight against Zhang Juzheng?
But clearly, since the opposition dares to voice different opinions, they must have something to rely on.

Just as the midday court session was about to end.

Suddenly, Yang Sizhi, the supervising censor of Shaanxi Province, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I hereby impeach Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng for failing to properly discipline his young son, allowing him to become arrogant and unruly, oppressing the people in the capital, abusing the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for personal gain, being ignorant and incompetent, and attempting to disrupt the scholarly community."

Yang Sizhi's entire outcry was directed at Zhang Yunxiu, who did not yet hold an official position, so all the blame was placed on Zhang Juzheng.

Upon hearing this, the guests in the hall fell silent.

A few years ago, anyone who dared to challenge Zhang Juzheng's authority would either be stripped of their official rank and reduced to commoner status or exiled to the frontier.

Who would dare to do such a thing?

But times have changed. With the political landscape shifting dramatically, some people are bound to try to take advantage of the situation and gain greater benefits.

Zhang Juzheng was extremely strict with his family, and his sons rarely had contact with officials. When he finally caught his youngest son, he was bound to write a great deal about it.

"I have a report that Zhang Shiyuan, the son of the Grand Secretary, forcibly abducted a woman in the street."

"Your subject reports that Zhang Shiyuan has corrupted medical clinics and harmed the people."

The successive impeachments by censors were clearly premeditated.

Another wave of attacks from the opponents has begun!
Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. He understood what these people were after.

They simply wanted to use this to gain the emperor's trust and appreciation.

What they didn't know was that while they had a grudge against the young emperor, they were not enemies.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng was a cautious man, and he had planned ahead of time because he knew that his youngest son, Zhang Yunxiu, would cause trouble.

He exchanged a glance with Pan Sheng, who understood and was about to step out of the group when he spoke.

But before Pan Sheng could speak, an uproar erupted on the throne.

Emperor Wanli, abandoning all composure, jumped up from his throne and angrily rebuked the emperor.

"Absurd! The Grand Secretary is my trusted minister. How dare you fabricate rumors and pin them on him!"

　Note 1: By the early Ming Dynasty, handwritten copies of "Jin Ping Mei" were already available on the market.

　　Note 2: The Wanli Emperor was named at the age of five. See the Veritable Records of Emperor Muzong of Ming, January 1, Longqing Year 1, Jiaxu.

　　Note 3: The phrase "Jiajing neglected Wanli" comes from *Wanli Yehuo Pian*: "The current emperor was born in the eighth month of the year Gui (癸) at the Yu residence. At that time, Emperor Shizong was misled by the saying 'two dragons cannot meet,' and therefore all celebrations at the Yu residence were not to be reported to the emperor… When the current emperor was a month old, he dared not request the hair-cutting ceremony… When Emperor Muzong ascended the throne, ministers requested the establishment of a crown prince. The emperor ordered that the crown prince be named first, and the enthronement be discussed later. He finally bestowed the current emperor's name in the first month of the first year. According to custom, naming took place on the 100th day; by this time, Ruiling was already five years old. Never before had a grandson of the emperor from the Zhu residence missed this deadline."

　　Note 4: Historically, Yang Wei returned to his hometown during this period; this is an artistic embellishment.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)