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

Chapter 48 I am Yun Jiye (Please continue reading!)

Yuan Zongdao?
Upon hearing the name, Zhang Yunxiu immediately stopped in his tracks; it sounded very familiar.

After a brief moment of thought, he recalled Yuan Zongdao's life.

Historically, Yuan Zongdao did not pass the imperial examination until the fourteenth year of the Wanli reign, and later became the Grand Master of the Eastern Palace.

Of course, he is most famous for his literary achievements. Together with his two younger brothers, Yuan Hongdao and Yuan Zhongdao, he founded the "Putao Society," which opposed the literary trend of blindly worshipping the ancients and advocated "expressing one's true feelings without being bound by conventions."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yunxiu encountered this person at the Imperial College, which piqued his interest.

He first observed it briefly, then pretended to be very interested, found a nearby futon to sit down, and spoke in a very familiar manner.

Are you all discussing Zhang Shiyuan?

For a moment, Yuan Zongdao and several friends cast strange glances at him, showing some wariness.

One of the students asked, "And who are you?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled broadly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said, "My name is Yun Jiye, a newly arrived student. To be honest, I am just a regular student and not very respectable."

The so-called "Lijian" was a way of entering the Imperial Academy in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. It originated in the Jingtai period. At that time, due to the emergency of border defense after the Tumu Crisis, the court ordered that anyone who paid tribute to the court with a certain amount of grain and horses could enter the Imperial Academy to study.

However, in the early Wanli period, the system was not yet corrupt. After Zhang Juzheng's reforms, the court's annual revenue increased dramatically, and the regulations for the Imperial Academy became relatively stricter, so that they would not recruit idle and dissolute young men.

Zhang Yunxiu was an exception.

Upon hearing this, the students not only did not look down on them, but were very enthusiastic.

"My name is Liu Dongding!"

"My name is Geng Zaichu!"

"Yuan Zongdao".

Yuan Zongdao appeared much more reserved.

The student named Liu Dongding seemed to be a talkative person, and he immediately smiled and said to Zhang Yunxiu.

“Brother Yun, there’s no need to belittle yourself. The Imperial Academy is not what it was during the Jiajing era. The atmosphere is much better now. Even those who came up through regular admissions, imperial tribute, or hereditary admissions mostly have some ability and are not just good-for-nothings.”

Clearly, a batch of students had recently enrolled, so Zhang Yunxiu's identity was not questioned.

“Brother Liu has a point,” Zhang Yunxiu said, squinting as he feigned a refined demeanor. “I also thought that those who could enter the Imperial Academy should be of a high standard, except for Zhang Shiyuan, of course.”

Upon hearing his words, the three of them were stunned for a moment, and Liu Dongding laughed loudly.

"Absolutely! Absolutely! Brother Yun, you are truly witty!"

Geng Zaichu asked curiously, "It seems that Brother Yun and Zhang Shiyuan don't get along?"

"Not getting along?"

Zhang Yunxiu rubbed his chin somewhat awkwardly and said in a cryptic tone.

"I don't like some of his remarks, but the person I have the biggest grudge against is Zhang Shiyuan's father, who was almost harmed by him."

He almost got beaten up by Zhang Juzheng, so he could be considered a victim, right?

"Is there such a thing?"

The three of them widened their eyes and looked at Zhang Yunxiu with some surprise, as if they didn't quite believe it.

Yuan Zongdao thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Yun, could it be that an elder in your family has impeached that gentleman?"

There were so many officials who were punished for impeaching Zhang Juzheng during the Wanli era. According to Yuan Zongdao's conjecture, there were probably officials in this young man's family who were demoted for impeaching Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Yunxiu spoke vaguely, leaving the three of them no choice but to speculate.

"Yes!" Zhang Yunxiu exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Exactly!"

He made a pained expression on his face.

"My uncle is suffering! He was demoted again and again simply for impeaching the new policies. I was studying at the prefectural school, but local officials almost expelled me from school in order to curry favor with Zhang Jiangling! It's truly despicable!"

hiss~
The three of them gasped. Those who could become students of the Imperial Academy at least had the titles of Xiucai or Juren. Being expelled from the academy meant cutting off their path to the imperial examinations.

Zhang Juzheng has caused immense harm!

Liu Dongding said angrily, "Back then, Wu, the compiler of the Imperial Academy, impeached Zhang Jiangling for the matter of seizing the opportunity to mourn, and was flogged in court. It is said that after he returned home, dozens of pieces of rotten flesh were dug out from his thigh, which was shocking! Zhang Jiangling is a truly despicable scoundrel!"

He insulted my father again!
Zhang Yunxiu silently memorized the other person's appearance.

“Brother Liu, you mustn’t do this.” Yuan Zongdao looked around, as if afraid their conversation would be overheard. “In my opinion, Zhang Jiangling’s achievements in implementing the new policies have revitalized the court, but his excesses lie in his authoritarianism, elimination of dissidents, and tyrannical behavior—not the conduct of a subject.”

Zhang Yunxiu raised his eyebrows, shook his head, and said.

"No, no. In my opinion, Zhang Jiangling's fault lies mainly in the new policies."

"Oh? That's quite novel." Yuan Zongdao said, somewhat surprised.

In fact, among the young Confucian scholars at the Imperial Academy, the evaluation of Zhang Juzheng's New Policies was fairly moderate. The reforms of the bureaucracy and the elimination of malpractices were in line with traditional Confucian values.

Opponents merely argued that Zhang Juzheng's implementation of the new policies was too forceful, or that there were deviations in their application to the people.

This Brother Yun in front of me is actually saying that Zhang Juzheng's mistakes are above the new policies. What does he have to rely on?

Yuan Zongdao immediately became interested and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Yun, do you have some insightful opinions?"

Zhang Yun sat upright and spoke in a serious manner.

"Since ancient times, the collapse of a dynasty has only been a matter of two or three hundred years. However, after two hundred years of establishment, a country often becomes riddled with problems."

Zhang Jiangling's reforms were well-intentioned, but the new policies, in essence, still failed to escape the constraints of traditional dynastic changes.
The saying goes, "No destruction, no construction." If we want our Great Ming Dynasty to enjoy long-term stability and prosperity, merely lingering within the old framework will ultimately fail to eradicate its deep-seated problems. We must broaden our thinking, starting with our ideology, and promote pragmatism. This applies not only to Confucianism but also to practical disciplines such as astronomy, geography, military affairs, and agriculture.
Lifting the sea ban is also an idea.

Zhang Yunxiu spoke with great passion, leaving the three of them stunned. Yuan Zongdao, in particular, frowned deeply, about to offer his own comment.

"Brother Yun's words are quite novel." But just as he was about to speak, the Guangye Hall suddenly fell silent, and someone shouted out.

"Dr. Wang is here!"

The students were immediately on high alert, and those who had been whispering amongst themselves retreated to their prayer mats.

Yuan Zongdao didn't continue speaking, but instead reminded Zhang Yunxiu.

"Brother Yun, Dr. Wang is here. Please be careful."

Zhang Yunxiu frowned and looked up to see an old man. The man was hunched over and looked very old. He was holding a ruler in his hand and his eyes were unusually sharp as he looked at the students.

The students seemed to be very afraid of him, and Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but frown and ask.

"Who is this person?"

"Brother Yun, you don't know Dr. Wang?" Yuan Zongdao hurriedly introduced him. "He once served as the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, and frequently submitted memorials criticizing current affairs, which offended His Majesty and the officials of the court. As a result, he was given a leisurely position at the Imperial Academy, where he became extremely strict with the students, and beatings and scoldings were commonplace."

He glanced at Zhang Yunxiu, then smiled and said.

"The good news is that he has a grudge against Zhang Jiangling. If he knows that your family has suffered because of Zhang Jiangling, he will surely help you out."

Zhang Yunxiu's face twitched. What kind of good news was this?

The position of Doctor of the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty was similar to that of a university professor in later times.

It sounds like this person was put into the Imperial Academy by his father. If he finds out his true identity, how can he have a good life?

At this moment, Dr. Wang Honghui was pacing in the passageway next to the student's prayer mat, his face ashen, as if someone owed him money.

"All students, close your books and be examined."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slapped a student on the shoulder with a ruler and said...

"Zhou Chaowen, please discuss Mencius's view that 'the benevolent are invincible'."

The student who was called on staggered to his feet and, after thinking for a long time, stammered out his answer.

The Analects says, "Let the ruler be a ruler, and the minister a minister," therefore loyalty to the ruler is benevolent governance! Loyalty to the ruler.

Wang Honghui frowned and said, "If Your Majesty is dissolute and indulges in pleasure, neglecting state affairs and refusing to listen to advice, how can a benevolent government be implemented?"

"Students.Students"

The student, who had been somewhat confident, suddenly felt half a head shorter, as this clearly touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.

“Read the script and extend your hand.”

When the student tremblingly extended his white palm, a series of "slap slap" sounds rang out, and more than a dozen slaps were delivered, twisting the student's face into a grimace, yet he dared not utter a sound.

For a moment, all the students in the hall fell silent.

Zhang Yunxiu frowned and said, "The answer wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. Was it really necessary to resort to such ruthless measures?"

He clearly saw that the student's palms were almost bleeding.

Yuan Zongdao lowered his voice and reminded him, "Brother Yun, you're new here. Dr. Wang's teaching style is always like this. If you're even slightly dissatisfied, you'll be punished with a ruler. We've all been punished before, so please be careful, Brother Yun."

He looked at Zhang Yunxiu with some pity. Wang Honghui was an extremely strict man, and he would always ask questions of any new students he met.

In fact, compared to the content of "Collected Annotations on the Four Books", these questions are somewhat beyond the scope of the curriculum.

To put it nicely, Dr. Wang is treating the students harshly; to put it bluntly, he is deliberately making things difficult for them.

This scene reminded Zhang Yunxiu of the female grade head who had irregular menstruation and a volatile temper during his student days in his previous life.

That resentful look was exactly the same.

Wang Honghui's examination is still ongoing.

One student, having learned from the mistakes of his classmates, offered a different answer.

"The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least important."

Wang Honghui flew into a rage and struck the scholar on the head with a ruler, saying...

"You madman! A ruler is ordained by Heaven to govern the world; how can you be treated lightly? You must have learned many unorthodox interpretations from the common people; you deserve to be punished!"

Since Zhu Yuanzhang, he was not satisfied with Mencius's idea that "the people are more important than the ruler." Although the Ming Dynasty restored Mencius's worship in the Confucian Temple, it made many revisions to Mencius's collected works, especially the idea that "the people are more important than the ruler."

Although private lectures were banned a few years ago, they still cannot be stopped in private.

This was clearly a newcomer, influenced by many popular ideas, which immediately gave Wang Honghui a reason to take action.

For a time, the sounds of answers echoed throughout the hall, but the sound of the ruler striking flesh was equally constant.

It seems that no one can satisfy Wang Honghui.

Unbeknownst to him, Wang Honghui seemed to catch a glimpse of several students whispering to each other behind him, and he deliberately paced toward them.

Before long, they were already in front of Zhang Yunxiu.

Wang Honghui's authoritative voice rang out: "New student? State your name."

Yuan Zongdao and the others looked nervous and nudged the unresponsive Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu then snapped out of his reverie. He looked up at Wang Honghui, who seemed rather unwilling.

He slowly rose, cupped his hands slightly, and said.

"Yun Jiye".

This utterly rude behavior made Wang Honghui frown even more, and he spoke with a frosty expression.

“A new student? If you don’t answer well, you will be punished with thirty strokes of the ruler.”

(End of this chapter)