Chapter 120: Layer by layer, virtual and real

Everyone in Huguang was keeping an eye on Zhu Xizhong, so what happened in Prince Min's Palace was naturally known to everyone at the first opportunity.

Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still shocked.

That's the prince!
He actually acted on his own initiative and killed him so easily!
It's so audacious and reckless!
Killing a prince without authorization is the greatest crime.

Even if he took advantage of the situation by claiming to be a treasonous case, he was still stepping into a dangerous situation.

If you dare to kill the prince today, you won’t dare to think about what you will do tomorrow!
Almost predictable.

Officials from the three ministries, officials from the royal palace, and princes from the royal family were all shouting for war and killing, and memorials impeaching Zhu Xizhong flowed into the capital like rivers into the sea.

……

On July 19th, it is the beginning of summer, and the handle of the Big Dipper points to the southwest.

This means that the hot and unbearable weather will only last for a short period of time.

When the memorial from Huguang reached the Ministry of Public Security, it was like a drop in the ocean, without causing any waves.

Normally, such a major event as the execution of a prince would inevitably cause a stir in the court and lead to heated debates.

However, the emperor had other important matters to attend to recently and had no time to deal with it, so naturally he had no time to submit it to the ministry or the court for discussion.

He had no choice but to considerately take the memorial from the Ministry of Public Administration to the Wanshou Palace, ready to discuss it later.

It’s not that I’m lazy, but I really can’t get away - the emperor has final exams these days.

The emperor's autumn lectures will resume on August 12, and the performance evaluations in the two capitals and one province will also begin on August 12.

Now that August is almost here, the so-called "leaders lead by example" is followed. In order to set a good example for the emperor, and also to review the past and learn new things before the new lessons begin.

The emperor took the lead in conducting an examination of academic performance, and the date was set for today.

For this reason, even the court meetings were stopped.

Wang Shizhen, the leader of the literary world, sat in the Wenhua Hall with a look of confusion on his face.

I was invited here just after arriving in Beijing, and I was completely confused.

How come the emperor has academic achievements?

That's fine. If he wants to act, just do it for his own amusement. So asking Wang Shizhen to come to Beijing is just to endorse such things?

Wang Shizhen's resistance inevitably became even stronger.

He had earlier received the emperor's edict to reinstate him, and his mood was quite complicated.

In the past, he would have been overjoyed by the emperor's appreciation and wanted to achieve great things and accomplish immortal achievements.

But since his father Wang Rong was brutally executed by Emperor Shizong, Wang Shizhen's enthusiasm for building achievements has dropped sharply, and he would rather "sit in Yanyuan all day and deal with flowers."

Although Emperor Muzong rehabilitated his father and cleared his name, the passion of youth could never be regained.

So, after the mourning period ended, Wang Shizhen, with this perfunctory and rejecting mentality, sighed that "it was difficult to be a gentleman in previous years, I could not follow death, and yet I could not leave easily", and he slowly and reluctantly entered the capital.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in the capital, the eunuch of the Imperial Household came to invite him personally, saying that the emperor had passed the examination today and invited him to attend the ceremony.

After entering the palace, as soon as he heard the eunuch's explanation of the whole story, he was pressed down on the seat in the Wenhua Hall and could not move easily.

The examination was held in the rear hall of Wenhua Hall - the prince's main study place was in the east side hall, while the emperor's was in the rear hall.

As the saying goes, the emperor wears imperial robes to attend the imperial lectures and wears imperial robes to attend the government affairs in the palace at night. Today, the emperor was wearing imperial robes and slowly entered the palace.

The two palaces, the imperial lecturers, the daily lecturers, the Hanlin scholars, and even the specially invited literary master Wang Shizhen, gathered in the Wenhua Hall to witness the emperor's academic progress.

Wang Shizhen looked around and saw the two Empress Dowagers sitting at the top, wearing phoenix robes and golden badges, with calm and composed expressions.

Gao Yi, who was in charge of the imperial lectures, sat on the left, and Zhang Juzheng, who was in charge of the daily lectures, sat on the right.

The two cabinet ministers wore dragon robes, and the lecturers behind them were all wearing bright red gold-woven robes, looking solemn and dignified.

Zheng Zongxue, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Shen Li, the Hanlin Academician, were sitting on the side, holding paper and pen. The cover of the book was clearly a diary, and they were writing furiously at their desks.

Daily Records! ?

Wang Shizhen was shocked and thought he was seeing things.

In my lifetime, I can still see such noble and retro things as the daily records.

From Emperor Taizu to Emperor Xuanzong, there are still "records of the left and right historians" or "texts of notes in the Lanting Records".

But after Emperor Xuanzong, there were no more historians.

This is what Liao Daonan said, "Since the reign of Emperor Xuande, the prime minister has gained more power, the historian has taken a lesser position, and the recording of daily life has been abolished."

During the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, Lu Ji wrote a letter to the emperor, citing ancient system and hoping that the emperor would restore the daily records.

Xianzong agreed on the surface and "instructed the officials to find out", but in the end he neither assigned an official position nor transferred any staff. When the Ministry of Rites asked about it, he said "postponed the discussion".

Now his daily life has been restored! ?
He has written the history of the imperial examination system "Ke Shi Kao", the history of posthumous titles "Shi Fa" and "Tong Ji of Shi Fa", the history of eunuchs "Zhongguan Kao", the history of military system "Bing Zhi Kao", etc. He can be said to be an avid history enthusiast.

How could one not be moved by such a situation - which wise minister would respect the rites and restore order?

This gave Wang Shizhen a surprise.

However, when the emperor passed the academic examination, they recorded it...this was a scene where they were really not afraid that the emperor would respond inappropriately and be embarrassed.

Or, if something goes wrong, do we have to distort the truth?
Wang Shizhen was just thinking about it when he saw the emperor bowing to the two queen mothers and the two teachers in turn, and then sitting down meticulously behind the desk in the middle of the examination room.

He nodded secretly. The emperor's demeanor and manners were quite good.

I heard that the emperor was meditating on the principles of Yin and Yang in the Western Garden, alternating between stillness and movement, doing physical exercise and boxing in the morning and meditating and fishing in the afternoon, but I don't know whether it's true or not.

Just as Wang Shizhen was thinking freely in his mind.

The eunuch on the field whipped his whip three times.

A daily lecturer spread out paper and ground ink for the emperor, while two imperial lecturers stepped forward, stood behind the emperor, and stared at his demeanor.

The ceremonial officer patrolled back and forth.

when.

As the yellow bell rang, three wisps of incense rose from the incense burner.

The emperor stood up and bowed again to the two palaces and the master: "Please examine me, mother and master."

Be polite and methodical.

Wang Shizhen and the Hanlin scholar beside him looked at him at the same time.

Empress Dowager Chen took the first action.

She looked at the emperor and went straight to the point: "Everything has its root and end, and everything has its beginning and end. If you know what comes first and what comes later, you will be close to the truth. What is the meaning?"

Standing in the specially granted position, Wang Shizhen secretly sighed that this was indeed just a formality for the emperor.

Having invited so many people, even if it's just a lot of noise but little action, there's no need to worry that it will be recorded in the manuscripts of these scholars later.

What Empress Dowager Chen said is the opening sentence of "The Great Learning".

"The Great Learning" was a chapter of "The Book of Rites", but after Zhu Xi extracted it from "The Book of Rites", it acquired a transcendent status and became the first of the Four Books.

It is also a classic that must be tested on the eight-legged essay.

The difficulty of solving it is not very high, probably, it is at the level of easy-to-scoring questions in the provincial examination, you just need to memorize it.

The emperor pondered for a moment, then answered in a clear voice: "Wu refers to Mingde and Xinmin; Ben is the root; Mo is the end."

"Only by cultivating virtue can one renew the people. Cultivating virtue is the root, and renewing the people is the end, just like the roots and branches of a tree."

"Things refer to knowing when to stop and being able to achieve; the end refers to the end; the beginning refers to the beginning."

“Only when you know when to stop can you achieve. Knowing when to stop is the beginning, and being able to achieve is the end, just like everything has a beginning and an end.”

"The beginning is the most important thing and should be done first; the end is the second part and should be done later."

"If people can understand this order of priority and follow it, then they will not go wrong on the road, and naturally they will be able to enlighten their virtues and renew their people, and they will know when to stop and when to achieve, and they will not be far from the way of the university."

Wang Shizhen glanced at Zhang Juzheng, the head of the class.

This solution is Zhang Juzheng's way, which is neither good nor bad.

However, when the emperor was explaining the classics, his manners and speech were smooth and fluent, and he did have the qualities of a scholar.

Queen Mother Chen nodded when she heard this and spoke again: "Is it okay for a minister to kill his ruler?"

"It is said that those who harm kindness are called thieves, and those who harm righteousness are called cruel. Those who are cruel and thieves are called tyrants. I have heard of the execution of the tyrant Zhou, but I have never heard of the killing of the king."

This statement comes from "Mencius" and is slightly more difficult than the previous one.

The imperial lecturer held a ruler in his hand and straightened the emperor's back.

The lecturer spread out paper and pen and wrote down the questions asked by Empress Dowager Chen in front of the emperor.

All the Hanlin scholars subconsciously stretched their necks, trying to hear more clearly.

Wang Shizhen looked at the emperor curiously.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, then raised his head and answered, "You are a cruel and treacherous man. Heaven's mandate has gone, and the people's hearts have left you. You are just a tyrant, and you cannot be the common ruler of the world."

"So the Book of Documents says, 'Zhou the Tyrant'. Zhou cut himself off from Heaven, so Heaven commanded King Wu to kill him and rid the world of the evildoers. I have heard that Zhou the Tyrant was killed, but I have never heard that he was regicide."

"Looking at King Wu, Tang's attack on Jie was also similar. The Book of Changes says that Tang and Wu's revolutions were in accordance with Heaven and in harmony with the people."

“That’s exactly what I meant.”

Wang Shizhen secretly praised.

Just from this one understanding, we can know that the emperor was well-read, had a strong Confucian spirit, and that the officials in charge of the imperial lectures taught him well.

Afterwards, Empress Dowager Chen asked several more questions, covering the Four Books, covering theories on how to be a person, how to handle affairs, and how to govern a country.

The emperor answered frankly without hesitation, with grandeur and original insights.

Then, Empress Dowager Li asked three questions about the meaning of classics, namely "Shangshu", "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Book of Rites".

At this time, Wang Shizhen finally reacted.

This is, using the provincial examination papers to test the emperor's performance?

No wonder so many people were invited to watch the ceremony!

In particular, all the Hanlin scholars looked surprised, obviously they had no prior knowledge of this.

Wang Shizhen listened to the rustling sound of the Zhongshu Sheren writing quickly behind the screen, and a hint of curiosity arose in his heart.

The Emperor, is he really that brilliant?

He looked the emperor from head to toe with great interest, as if he was thinking about something.

After the two palaces finished their examinations, Gao Yichi, the head of the imperial lecture class, stepped out. His face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please break the 'middle one, the next one'."

Wang Shizhen was cheered up.

It really makes things difficult for the emperor!
This sentence comes from the Doctrine of the Mean. The first sentence, “中也者”, is the highlight of the Doctrine of the Mean: “中也者, the great foundation of the world, refers to the essence of the heart.”

The second sentence, "合下节", refers to being in line with the next section. As for what section it is, it is up to the emperor to answer.

This is the big question of not departing from one's true nature, cultivating virtue and concentrating on the Tao!
I have almost reached the threshold of the imperial examination.

Moreover, this kind of discussion on the Tao has a strong personal color, and it is almost impossible for outsiders to answer for others - those who are Jinshi have already determined the interpretation of the scriptures, and you can tell whose style it is when they say something.

In other words, even if the answers were prepared in advance, the emperor himself had to answer them. Otherwise, the cheating recorded in the daily records would be a laughing stock for eternity.

Has the emperor's attainment in Confucian classics reached this level?
Wang Shizhen looked at the emperor who was in silence, and looked forward to his answer more and more.

This time the emperor did not answer easily, but bent over his desk and began to write, as if he was drafting and considering his words.

After a while.

The emperor finally put down his pen.

He was calm and composed, and said in a clear voice: "The Doctrine of the Mean talks about the essence and function of the Tao, and from this it is also about the merits and effects of the Tao. With the establishment of the mean and harmony, the essence and function of the Tao are combined."

"The friendship of a gentleman is complete, and the wonderful effect of his work is not due to his position and education. Moreover, this is the completeness of the Tao. When it is used, it is used for the creation, and its body originates from one heart. The embodiment of the Tao by a gentleman is rooted in one heart and reaches the ultimate in the creation.

"The existence of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure without bias is called the middle. This is the middle, the virtue of nature. Without a trace of burden, it silently opens the door to all wonders, and the deep springs emerge from time to time, which is actually calming the secret of all movements. In short, it has the foundation in the unexpressed. The body that is expressed but has no use is not the body.

“Although the vast and the flowing are always flowing and never stop, how can they condense the whole of the Dao and praise its transformation and nurturing? Although the graceful and the rich are always sufficient and never stop, how can they combine the wonderful use of the Dao and perform its rituals?”

"The hidden heart is very subtle, but the scattered uses are very broad, which is the root of the world. Also, since joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all in moderation, it is called harmony. This is harmony, the virtue of emotion..."

Lang Lang spoke with great confidence.

The two cabinet ministers were solemn and released, the lecturers stroked their beards happily, the two palaces were clueless, and the Zhongshu Sheren was concentrating on recording the daily notes.

Only the Hanlin academician, Wang Shizhen and other literary figures were shocked and whispered to each other.

In the hall, everyone's gazes intertwined in an instant, and there was an unconcealable wonder in their eyes.

Many old Hanlin scholars who passed the imperial examination at the age of fifty could hardly help covering their faces.

For this question alone, even if the emperor had prepared an answer in advance, his solution could be said to be a combination of the upper and lower levels, with the virtual and the real coexisting, and the situation being tight without being overbearing, and the spirit being vigorous without being arrogant.

With this level, he is only one level away from becoming a Jinshi!
Even though he is not yet qualified, as long as he takes two or three exams and polishes himself, he will be able to become a Jinshi!

Is this really the emperor!?
Instead of a candidate preparing for next year's imperial examination?

Wang Shizhen's eyes were full of brilliance. He passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen and became a Jinshi at the age of twenty-two.

The emperor's level is almost the same as when he was twelve years old!
Is it true that such divine writing and beautiful appearance are gifted by heaven?
……

The exam lasted the whole morning.

Even though it was a show that had been prepared in advance, Zhu Yijun was exhausted.

Fortunately, there were no mistakes and the show was completed. Then we just need to wait for today's events to be published as news, written as prefaces, and slowly ferment.

The reactions of the Imperial Academy scholars and literary giants were good, so the problem should not be too big - the solutions he prepared in advance were not in vain.

After it ended, Zhu Yijun gave a banquet to all the ministers - actually it was just a simple meal in the Wenhua Hall.

Of course, he, Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi only showed up once and then slipped away.

Firstly, it prevents the people below from feeling uncomfortable and allows them to have a good meal. Secondly, of course, there are important matters to discuss.

Under the scorching sun, Zhu Yijun was too embarrassed to call the two gentlemen to the West Garden, so he simply found a side hall in the Huangji Hall and had a meal there.

On the way, Zhu Yijun heard Gao Yi saying, "Your Majesty, the provincial examination is just around the corner. Please appoint an official to preside over the Shuntianfu provincial examination."

The imperial examination will be held in the spring of next year and will be a nationwide unified test.

The provincial examinations were arranged by each province on its own and were held in August. Since Shuntian Prefecture was under the emperor's command, the status of the chief official was slightly higher and the examinations were decided personally by the emperor.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Let Fan Yingqi, Zuo Zhongyun of Zuo Chunfang and editor of Hanlin Academy, and He Luowen, You Zhongyun of You Chunfang and editor of Hanlin Academy, preside over the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture."

The Left and Right Spring Palaces are officials under the old East Palace.

After all, he is a close relative of the Japanese lecturer, and it's time to improve his qualifications.

Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial: "Your Majesty, I beg to be dismissed."

Zhu Yijun took it with ease and handed it to Zhang Hong beside him.

He said casually, "Well, I understand. Your request is not granted. Let's get down to business."

Not only the two parties involved, but also Zhang Hong and Gao Yi next to them have become accustomed to this scene.

Perhaps it is because the day of the performance evaluation is approaching, there have been quite a lot of memorials impeaching Zhang Juzheng recently.

On the one hand, it is a minister testing the emperor, which is an act of deceiving the emperor and overstepping the imperial power.

Then it was Zhang Juzheng who formed a clique. According to Article 18 of the Ming Dynasty Law "Official Law", those who formed cliques and disrupted the government should be sentenced to death.

Although it's all nonsense, there's nothing we can do about it. Impeachment means we have to petition for removal.

This is why the scene where the emperor and the prime minister just go through the motions happens over and over again.

Zhang Juzheng also got used to it.

After handing the memorial to the emperor, he got down to business: "Your Majesty, the recent examination of the law is approaching, and many people have requested to retire and not perform their duties."

"The vacant position can still be filled, but it will delay the important work, which is irreversible."

"I ask for accountability."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sneer.

Retire? Why not just quit your job?
These bugs have eaten everything up during your tenure, and now they want to keep their retirement benefits?
Which purse can be allowed to be robbed by these insects?
When he was a nobody, he received 200 yuan extra in the morning. He even skipped the lunch break in the joint conference office for wages, allowances and subsidies because of the emergency meeting. In the afternoon, he got the 200 yuan back.

Now that he is the number one accountant in Ming Dynasty, it would be a waste for him to make these people so comfortable.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Let Shen Shixing submit the report and I will approve it for you."

Zhang Juzheng bowed in thanks.

I have to say that the little emperor in front of him is really willing to give up power.

Today, he has the prestige and team to rule the country, but he remains the same as before and has never interfered with many cabinet decisions.

Even though Shen Shixing showed favoritism to his fellow villagers many times and promoted them vaguely, the young emperor still trusted him.

He only said, "I have no doubts about the people recommended by the Prime Minister."

This really made Zhang Juzheng feel deeply moved.

The three of them talked about political affairs along the way.

For example, an annual allowance of 60,000 taels of silver was allocated to Yansui Town to prepare food and fodder for emergency use.

Liu Kan, the Censor of Guizhou, was promoted to the Right Governor of Fujian.

Due to the warm weather, the number of prisoners released was reduced by 351.

The Jurchen people paid tribute to congratulate the emperor on his birthday, etc.

After a while, the group arrived at the Huangji Palace.

The emperor sat on the imperial steps and gave seats to his ministers.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi looked at each other.

The former gathered his strength, and with a feeling of calling for justice, he said, "Your Majesty, why did the Tongzhengsi send the memorials from Huguang to the capital directly to the palace instead of sending them to the cabinet?"

"He Yongqing has separated the country from the outside world, time and again. He is truly a traitor to the country. Your Majesty, please understand!"

Although he openly mentioned the Tongzhengsi, he was actually complaining to the emperor.

I won’t say much about the erosion of the cabinet’s authority - we can’t lose face for the cabinet just because we have a good relationship.

Besides, Zhang Juzheng was from Huguang after all. Even if he didn't interfere, he should at least have the right to know. How come he was not even allowed to read the memorials?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun acted as if he was surprised.

He cleared his throat and responded, "Don't worry, Prime Minister. I was just about to talk to the cabinet about this."

He showed no expression on his face, but in his heart he was thinking that if he continued like this, then Tongzhengshi He Yongqing might not be able to continue his work in this investigation.

Who should be the next Minister of Public Security?
Gao Yi also asked: "Your Majesty, what is the current situation in Huguang? Please don't cover it up."

There had been quite a stir in Huguang before, and now the emperor was keeping it secret, so it was obvious that something big had happened.

I was afraid that the emperor would become overconfident, not allow the cabinet to intervene, and act on his own, causing the situation to worsen.

When Zhu Yijun met the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, he spoke earnestly and was quite anxious, so he did not keep him in suspense any more.

When he summoned the ministers today, he had no intention of hiding anything from them.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, and Zhang Hong immediately understood.

The latter quickly delivered the memorial from Huguang to the two grand secretaries.

Zhang Juzheng took the book in his hands and started reading it without hesitation.

Gao Yi apologized and picked up a memorial to read.

Zhu Yijun waited for them to read the memorials, and he sighed, "The Zhang Chucheng case was shrouded in mystery, but now the truth has been revealed."

"The royal family, the Censorate, the Commandery, the local government offices, many people, big and small, are involved."

"Du Si, the Censor of the Censorate, Mao Ruxian, the Assistant Commander of the Commandery, and Zhong Chongwen, the Prefect of Yuezhou, escorted him to the capital."

"These minor officials will be executed on the spot."

Before he could finish his words, Gao Yi interrupted the emperor. He looked up with a serious expression and said, "Your Majesty, a prince and six county princes are also insignificant officials?"

Zhu Yijun hesitated to speak, and considered his words again and again.

Zhang Juzheng also finished reading the memorial, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

As if a light bulb had suddenly lit up in his head, he suddenly asked, "Have you received the memorial that Your Majesty is waiting for?"

Gao Yi was a little slow and looked puzzled.

Glancing at the emperor's reaction, he finally realized what had happened and said in astonishment, "Your Majesty has kept the memorial for several days, waiting for news of Duke Cheng's death!"

Zhu Yijun sighed.

He took out another memorial from his sleeve: "Duke Chengguo, his illness was incurable, and he has died for his country."

(End of this chapter)