Chapter 125 Successor, Lian Xing Jie Chen

The sunlight is slanting and the shadows are getting longer.

Today, after a heart-to-heart talk between the two of them as king and minister, a new elegant residence was built in Xila Hutong, Nanxunfang, outside Donghua Gate, and a loyal minister moved in.

The emperor personally sent Wang Shizhen to the outside of Donghua Gate, and even stood there to watch this literary leader leave the palace.

It can be said that he gave Wang Shizhen enough face in front of others.

People who are loyal to the country should be treated like this.

Zhu Yijun quietly watched Wang Shizhen's departing back, recalling all of the alliance leader's responses and reactions just now, comparing them with the historical materials in his mind, and analyzing Alliance Leader Wang's psychology.

To be honest, I am not at ease with Wang Shizhen's character and personality.

Different from the old hands like Xu Ge Lao and Yin Ge Lao who were re-employed.

Wang Shizhen is not yet a qualified political figure and cannot act solely based on the pros and cons.

Otherwise, he would not have fallen out with Zhang Juzheng.

This person is even a little petty.

Historically, Wang and Zhang corresponded frequently. As the prime minister, Zhang Juzheng, even though he was always slandered by Wang Shizhen, still included the 15 letters he had written to Wang Shizhen in his own collection of essays and regarded him as a close friend.

Wang Shizhen was completely the opposite. He never mentioned his relationship with Zhang Juzheng in his collection of essays.

He even left behind only one letter written to Zhang Juzheng, which was the one pleading for leniency and redress for his father.

I can't really say that I have a broad mind.

This kind of person is the most self-centered and does whatever he wants.

Even if Zhu Yijun entrusted Lan Tai to his father and built a tomb to bury his father, he probably wouldn't be able to take care of him for more than a few years.

But there is nothing we can do about it. After all, there are many people with such talent and knowledge, but not many with such reputation. When it comes to public opinion, in addition to classical attainments, one must also be able to form cliques and factions and call on friends.

Wang Daokun is still not ready yet, and it will take at least three to five years to support him.

Not to mention Dong Qichang, who was just a 19-year-old juren.

I can only say that you can use it reluctantly and change it when it is not suitable for you.

We are short of people.

Zhu Yijun thought about it, turned around and walked back.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zheng Zongxue, who was writing furiously with a diary in one hand and a pen in the other.

Zhu Yijun inexplicably felt playful and leaned over to ask, "Zheng Qing, what bad things are you saying about me?"

Zheng Zongxue was concentrating on his studies and shuddered with fear when he heard this.

Seeing that it was the emperor approaching, she quickly turned sideways to avoid the emperor's prying eyes, and said sullenly: "Your Majesty, you promised the cabinet and Lantai last time that you would not peek."

Zhu Yijun laughed and stopped teasing.

Are you kidding? Do you really think I can't see it? Why don't you think about why there are only you and Shen Li left among the people who wrote the daily notes?

He waved his hand, stopped teasing, and casually started chatting: "Has this incident in Huguang affected Zheng Qing's family?"

Although thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all blessings from God.

However, Zhu Yijun only occasionally criticized those close to him, and mostly showed them kindness.

It has become normal to chat about family matters with the Zhongshu Sheren like this.

Like Zhang Juzheng, Zheng Zongxue was also a military household.

Of course, the latter's family background is relatively worse, and he can be considered a village chicken.

In addition, this Zhongshu Sheren is very young, only 28 years old.

They can be said to be Zhu Yijun's favorite type of Jinshi.

Xiao Zheng was from Xingguo Prefecture, Wuchang Prefecture, Huguang. Zhu Yijun took the opportunity to show concern for the situation of his subject's family, and also to understand the affairs of Huguang from the side to see if they affected people's livelihood.

Zheng Zongxue first thanked him, then said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am deeply troubled. Your Majesty, I have not received any letter from my family, so I am not affected."

He looked rather naive, lacking the calmness of a son of an aristocratic family who had a way out and could retire at any time.

He was also not very tall. When the little emperor walked with him, there was only half a head difference in height between them.

It is now Wei time, approaching Shen time, and the sun has slightly subsided in volume.

The group did not return directly to the West Garden because the emperor had to go to Xuanzhi Gate to practice martial arts today. Although it was a three-day practice and a two-day break, it at least guaranteed that they could practice for about twenty hours in a month.

Zhu Yijun walked in front, talking idly.

He advised Zheng Zongxue not to be on duty too late, to take care of his health, and that he might make some good friends since he was alone in Beijing.

I came from Xiaozheng Village and have only been working for the past two or three years.

Every time they encountered the emperor's courteous behavior, they could not resist and thanked him profusely.

Suddenly, Zhu Yijun said for no apparent reason: "Mr. Zheng, you were present during the entire conversation between me and Wang Shizhen just now."

"Any ideas?"

Zheng Zongxue subconsciously wanted to shirk his responsibility: "Your Majesty, I dare not..."

Zhu Yijun interrupted him directly: "Zheng Qing, tell me the truth, what do you think?"

Don’t be fooled by Xiao Zheng’s silly look. If he was really a fool, Zhu Yijun would not have kept him by his side as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat.

Zheng Zongxue came from an ordinary family, but he passed the provincial examination in August at the age of 25. The following year he went to Beijing for the metropolitan examination and became a Jinshi in March. This was the only time he took the imperial examinations in his life.

Although he did not have much fame in later generations, he was definitely considered a rare talent among men.

Old men are certainly useful, but this kind of young team also needs to be vigorously cultivated - now the Zhongshu Sheren of Wanshou Palace, Deng Yizan, Zheng Zongxue, Yu Shenxing, etc., are almost all in their twenties or early thirties.

Zhu Yijun doesn't care whether the old men have ulterior motives or not, as long as they are useful, it's fine. But it's different for the young team, they have to consider whether their thoughts and steps are in sync.

It is indispensable to have frequent heart-to-heart talks and do ideological work.

The most important thing is that the thoughts of these young generation of Jinshi on this matter are also crucial!
Zheng Zongxue was in a rather awkward situation, mainly because he was a close minister and was easily impeached.

If you are not careful, you will be labeled as "a person who is close to you and makes irresponsible comments on state affairs."

But since the emperor had said so much, he couldn't refuse any longer.

Zheng Zongxue apologized and began to consider the matter.

After a while, he slowly said: "I am of humble origin, with little talent and knowledge, and I only have the words of a mediocre person. Your Majesty, please just listen to them."

After saying that, he bowed again.

Zhu Yijun hummed casually, showing a bit of impatience as if he was too lazy to listen to the clichés.

Seeing this, Zheng Zongxue became even more respectful and said thoughtfully, "Your Majesty, my mother is a Buddhist and I have been influenced by her."

"The Buddhist classic Mahaparinirvana Sutra once recorded the words of the Buddha, saying..."

"Seven hundred years after my Parinirvana, the demon Posun will gradually destroy my righteous Dharma."

"Just as a hunter wears dharma robes, the devil king Mara also does the same, taking the form of a bhikkhu, bhikkhuni, upasaka, or upasika. He also transforms himself into the body of a Sotapanna, or even into the body of an arhat or the body of a Buddha. The devil uses this defiled form as a pure body to destroy my righteous Dharma."

Zheng Zongxue did not explain the meaning to the emperor, but just spoke to himself.

After all, no one regards the emperor as a child anymore, let alone Zheng Zongxue, a close friend who keeps a record of the emperor's daily life.

Zhu Yijun naturally understood.

Because Empress Dowager Li was fond of Buddhism, he even glanced through the Mahaparinirvana Sutra.

This means that when the Buddha is about to pass away, the demon king Mara will transform into tens of millions of monks, laypeople, saints of various fruits, and even Buddhas.

They came to defile the Buddhist cause, tamper with the Buddhist scriptures, seduce Buddhist believers, and ruin the reputation of Buddhism.

Zheng Zongxue obviously had something in mind.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zheng Zongxue with interest, signaling him to continue speaking with his eyes.

Zheng Zongxue paused for a moment, obviously hesitant.

After a while, he slowly spoke, his voice so low that it was barely as soft as a mosquito's: "Your Majesty, it has been two thousand years since our teacher Confucius passed away!"

"Now, the land is full of Bo Xun!"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand to ask the eunuch to stay away, then turned around and looked at Zheng Zongxue in silence.

After a while, Zhu Yijun finally smiled and asked, "So?"

Zheng Zongxue's eyes were full of sincerity, and he said earnestly, "Your Majesty, my family background is not only poor, but also humble. I am just one of the scholars in the Ming Dynasty, just like an ordinary Buddhist believer."

"Leader Wang, Master Xu and other literary leaders and masters of classics are like the abbots of various temples."

"I appreciate the merits of the Buddha and have a deep respect for him in my heart. However, when I go out, I always worship at any temple I see. I never care whether he is the incarnation of Mara or not. I just do it for the sake of convenience."

"Now, your majesty, for the sake of the heaven and the sentient beings of the three realms, whether you want to cut down the mountain and destroy the temple, or build a new Leiyin Temple, the Buddha and the Pure Land of Buddhism are always in the hearts of many believers, and they will never change."

"His Majesty……"

"The great merit and achievements of our predecessors are to establish rites for all nations and to enlighten the barbarians. Even a few mistakes and omissions will not diminish their merits for all eternity."

After Zheng Zongxue finished speaking, he felt both happy and nervous.

When he looked up, he saw the emperor staring at him.

He was startled and became even more uneasy, so he wanted to apologize.

Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly sighed and patted himself on the shoulder: "Zheng Qing, you are young. Only at your age can you be straightforward in this matter, instead of pretending to be ignorant."

Zhu Yijun was truly filled with emotion.

Zheng Zongxue is a young man, and I just acted very frank with him, so I asked him to speak his mind.

And he actually said it!
Don't be afraid of saying one thing and thinking another.

Zheng Zongxue respected Confucius very much, but he believed that Confucius was a "teacher" rather than a "sage".

Confucius's merits were based on establishing rites for various countries, not on being born with a perfect golden body.

So, when the emperor pointed out the mistakes in "Book of Rites", Zheng Zongxue didn't think it mattered. He believed that Confucius was a human being and it was normal for him to make mistakes.

As long as the "grand rites" that Confucius established for various countries are correct, everything else is just details. His merits remain unchanged, and he is still a teacher who guides people in life.

Reinterpreting the Book of Rites and fighting for the right to speak on the classics is nothing more than a fight between incarnations of Mara.

Even though Confucius has been dead for two thousand years, he, like Buddhism, lives only in his heart.

There are other schools of Confucian classics, such as Xu Jie's learning of mind from Wang Yangming, Wang Shizhen's retro school, and even the earlier Gongyang School, which is a mess.

They all used Confucius as an excuse to expound their own teachings and seek profits for themselves.

This is his attitude, and it is also the perspective of the poor students provided to the emperor - what the emperor wants to do, these scholars with no background do not care, the etiquette of the saints is only in their own hearts. Zheng Zongxue listened to the emperor's words and shook his head: "Your Majesty, I am only 28 years old, I am young."

Zhu Yijun really admired this temperament: "I just hope you will still be this kind of person in twenty years."

Zheng Zongxue suddenly laughed: "If I change my temper by then, Your Majesty can also 'appeal to my feelings and reason' like you did to Alliance Leader Wang."

Zhu Yijun also laughed.

He patted the boy's shoulder hard.

"No more talking. You go back to Wanshou Palace for duty. I'm going to Xuanzhi Gate to practice martial arts."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun called upon the eunuchs and left Zheng Zongxue behind.

"His Majesty!"

Just as Zhu Yijun was about to leave, he heard Zheng Zongxue calling him.

He turned around in confusion and saw Zheng Zongxue bowing and saying, "Your Majesty has devoted all his energy to state affairs, and yet he has not forgotten to ask me to take care of my health."

"I also dare to ask Your Majesty to nourish the dragon's body and let it grow strong and healthy... and marry you as soon as possible!"

Zhu Yijun smiled and said nothing this time.

He just waved his hand and led a group of palace servants away.

It was not until the emperor disappeared from Zheng Zongxue's sight that this Zhongshu Sheren suddenly felt emotional.

In a voice that only he could hear, he murmured, "Your Majesty has his sights set on the Three Realms. If you can achieve perfect merit, the glory of Heaven will not be inferior to that of the Buddha's land."

……

"Your Majesty, swordsmanship is not something you can do by slashing and hacking randomly like this."

"The so-called yin and yang must be turned, the two hands must be straight, the front foot must be bent, and the back foot must be straight."

"Hit and reveal, use all your strength, move forward step by step, and you will be invincible!"

Lin Shaohuai, a Langzhong of the Armory Department of the Ministry of War and the Director of the Beijing Guards Martial Arts School, taught the emperor by words and deeds, and personally corrected the key points of swordsmanship to him.

After more than half a year, the emperor had finally mastered the skills of horse riding and archery and could practice on his own.

Then he added the sword technique.

Although the emperor has his own sword, which covers the four barbarians and the four seasons, he should not learn this kind of weapon of life and death.

However, Taizu and Chengzu came first, and there were Yingzong and Wuzong after them. The ancestors had established the law, and it was not easy for outsiders to make irresponsible remarks about the young emperor learning sword.

Even the nobles, the people in the capital, and even the cabinet were supportive.

Especially Zhang Juzheng - Your Majesty will inspect the Beijing troops sooner or later, so it would be good for him to learn more fancy skills.

When Emperor Muzong reviewed the troops, he looked like he was being exploited and had difficulty putting on armor. He was unable to control the ruffians.

As soon as these words were spoken, Gao Yi also remembered Muzong's appearance and turned to support him.

Of course, when the emperor practiced swordplay, his weapon was naturally unopened.

Perhaps this is the reason why Zhu Yijun has been practicing for almost a month but still hasn't gotten the hang of it.

The little emperor was inevitably a little angry and said, "Master Lin, don't bring your clerical habits into martial arts."

"Where did you get this jingle to fool me? It's your attitude that has delayed my progress in martial arts training."

When Lin Shaohuai heard this, he hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Luo Sigong kindly explained, "Your Majesty, this is from the military book "Second Edition of Tao Qian" written by Yu Dayou, the first of the 140 sword techniques."

As soon as the words fell, the two of them glared at Luo Sigong.

Lin Shaohuai smiled apologetically and looked at the little emperor.

cough.

Zhu Yijun coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment.

He casually handed the unsharpened sword to Luo Sigong.

"Since we are talking about the art of war, it's a good time to take a break and talk about business."

Zhu Yijun inadvertently changed the subject and looked at Lin Shaohuai: "Mr. Lin, where are the case files of those students from the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School that I asked you to retrieve last time?"

Lin Shaohuai took advantage of the situation and bowed: "Your Majesty, it's in the duty room. I'll go get it right away."

Zhu Yijun nodded, signaling him to go quickly, otherwise everyone would be embarrassed by what had just happened.

Lin Shaohuai disappeared in the blink of an eye.

It took a while.

Lin Shaohuai returned again, holding a few case files in his arms, and trotted back, panting.

Zhu Yijun took the case file from him and read it carefully.

When the emperor practiced martial arts, he naturally had a group of sparring partners. Occasionally they would study the same subject or practice against each other in competitions.

Most of them were selected from the Beijing Guards’ martial arts, such as Luo Sigong.

Most of these students at the Beijing Guard Military Academy were descendants of nobles and officials. They naturally passed the political review and were able to be close to the emperor.

Zhu Yijun was also able to discover some capable people in the process.

Although it is still the same as before, most of the items are junk, but fortunately the base is large and the elimination is frequent, so some good stuff can always be found.

After a year, Zhu Yijun had candidates in mind for his guards and Beijing camp officer reserves.

After roughly reading it, Zhu Yijun divided the people into two groups.

He handed some of them to Jiang Keqian beside him and ordered: "These people will serve as guards."

Jiang Keqian took it and responded respectfully.

Zhu Yijun looked at Lin Shaohuai again and said, "Mr. Lin, the Ministry of War sent a letter to Qi Jiguang, the governor of the four garrisons, last month, saying that they would send a group of officers from the Beijing camp to study there. Has Qi Jiguang replied?"

After all, Lin Shaohuai is a doctor in the Ministry of War, so he is familiar with this business.

He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I received a reply at the beginning of the month, and the quota agreed with the Ministry of War is 47 people."

Further study also requires the arrangement of an official position, and Qi Jiguang could only vacate so many temporary official positions.

Zhu Yijun nodded and handed another part of the case file to Lin Shaohuai: "Send these students of the Beijing Guards Military Academy along with the military officers of the Beijing Camp to Qi Jiguang."

Lin Shaohuai bowed in response.

Just as he was about to reach out to take it, he suddenly saw the little emperor take it back.

The little emperor seemed to remember something and waved his hand: "Go to the Imperial Household Department to get it tomorrow."

Lin Shaohuai didn't understand what was going on, so he just stood up quietly and stood aside.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment, looked at Luo Sigong, and slowly said, "Commander Luo, go tell the parents of these people and say..."

"If the noble family's bad habits are hard to change during this training, they will definitely be punished by law."

"In order to prevent them from finding fault with Qi Jiguang later, I made it clear to them in advance.

"It's still not too late to regret before tomorrow. Once the Ministry of War takes the case file away, there will be no room for regret."

Luo Sigong nodded silently, turned and left.

Zhu Yijun casually handed the case file in his hand to Zhang Hong.

Having said that, we just want to persuade some political speculators to retreat.

His move was almost like giving a green light and creating a shortcut for the military order.

There's no way, I can't keep waiting like an old man.

The civil service must have a young team, and the military officers naturally have to prepare for a rainy day as well.

It is also very important to train a group of good family boys who have learned martial arts and suffered beatings with the emperor, and place them in the backbone positions of each camp and guard.

Otherwise, if one day he raised his arms and called for action, not only would no one respond, but he would also be stabbed to death on the street. Wouldn't he regret it to the fullest?
So, even if the green light is on, the threshold cannot be too low.

If you don't even dare to risk your life, why should we allow you to engage in political speculation?

Now we are going to Ji and Liao, and later we will go to Xuanda and the southeast. After the test of time, we can return to Beijing and be reused in the Beijing Camp!
Zhu Yijun had rested enough and stood up and stretched.

He called Lin Shaohuai and asked him to continue teaching him sword skills.

Just at this moment, everyone saw Wei Chao, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department, rushing over.

Lin Shaohuai knew something was wrong, so he stood still and did not approach the emperor.

Seeing that the emperor was free, Wei Chao, who was about to hand the memorial to the emperor, Zhang Hong, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, immediately came up with an idea and moved closer to the emperor.

Zhu Yijun saw all these little tricks but did not try to stop them - this was the structure of the Imperial Household Department that he had deliberately set up.

He glanced at Zhang Hong, lowered his brows, looked indifferent, and nodded with satisfaction.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wei Chao and took the initiative to ask, "What's the matter?"

Wei Chao quickly took out a memorial and said carefully, "Your Majesty, Zhang Siwei has resigned and is going back to his hometown to mourn his father. The cabinet has already drafted a bill and asked our Imperial Household Department to handle it as soon as possible."

In order to deal with it as quickly as possible, the natural thing to do was to ask the Imperial Household Department not to send it to the two palaces, but to come directly to the emperor.

These were the tacit agreements and secret codes reached before the emperor took power.

Zhu Yijun took the memorial with an expressionless face and glanced at it.

The words he chose were quite standard, and there was no sign of resentment in him. It seemed that he had become honest.

He closed the memorial, handed it to Zhang Hong, and ordered, "Approve it and allow him to retire. According to the custom, grant him a carriage and horses to see him off."

Wei Chao took a look at the memorial that had gone out of his hand and then returned to Zhang Hong, and he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

The emperor's every move is really unsettling.

Just when I was feeling upset, I suddenly remembered something else.

He collected his thoughts and spoke again, "Your Majesty, in addition to this, Zhang Siwei also sent a note today."

"I request to see His Majesty."

"However, Your Majesty had given instructions in advance to meet Wang Shizhen today, so the eunuch refused."

Having said that, as soon as he looked up, he saw the emperor's gaze sweeping over him, with an unclear meaning.

A while passed.

Only then did I hear the emperor's voice, his tone was indifferent: "Tell him to come to Wanshou Palace to see me before he leaves tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)