Chapter 139: Hanging Stone, Everything Must Have a Beginning

Unlike senior officials like Tu Xiying who have experienced many ups and downs in the officialdom for many years, the rookie Zhao Zhigao couldn't be so calm when he felt that something bad was going to happen.

The former, as a fourth-rank official and one of the Nine Minor Ministers, was a prominent figure even in the entire Ming Dynasty.

But even such a distinguished and high-ranking official, Zhao Zhigao clearly heard the emperor's questioning in the hall and saw the ugly face of Tu Xiying when he came out.

Then wouldn't I, a mere sixth-rank Imperial Academy editor, be humiliated even more? ?
What a strict emperor!
With such an uneasy mood, Zhao Zhigao followed Deng Yizan, head down, and walked into the lobby of the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Reward Department.

Zhao Zhigao was summoned to see the emperor for the first time, but he did not dare to look up to see the emperor's honor. He just bowed hastily and said, "I am Zhao Zhigao, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Unexpectedly.

Unlike what he expected, the emperor gave him a severe scolding.

On the contrary, the voice that reached Zhao Zhigao's ears was slightly gentler.

"Mr. Zhao, please stand up. This is not a court meeting, so you don't have to be too formal."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhigao felt a little relieved.

After thanking him again, he slowly raised his head and took in the scene in the hall.

On both sides of Zhao Zhigao's peripheral vision were two vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, sitting on the left and right sides of the hall.

Above Shen Shixing was Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting in the class. He seemed to be reading something passed around by the emperor, and he was flipping through it carefully.

Wen Chun's class leader sat upright, and seemed to sense Zhao Zhigao's gaze, so he turned his head and nodded slightly.

Several people were given seats by the emperor, but they looked like they were making private comments.

The emperor, who was occupying the hall of the Ministry of Examination in a dignified manner, was dressed in casual clothes and was looking at himself with interest, with no sign of joy or anger.

During the Emperor's birthday celebration in August, Zhao Zhigao had seen the Emperor from afar. Now, two months had passed and the Emperor had grown a lot.

After just one glance, Zhao Zhigao withdrew his gaze, not daring to look any further.

At this time, the emperor's voice came again.

"Mr. Zhao, how is the record of my grandfather and father going?"

When Zhao Zhigao heard the word "real record", his heart sank. As expected, he could not escape a scolding.

He was a Hanlin editor, so naturally he had work to do from the perspectives of lecturing, reading, editing and checking.

Working means being tested.

Compiling the Veritable Records was the job that Zhao Zhigao passed the examination for that year.

The emperor asked about this now, most likely because he was dissatisfied with the part he was responsible for.

Zhao Zhigao was not as reckless as Tu Xiying. He thought for a moment and replied carefully, "Your Majesty, the two dynasties' records are being compiled as planned. Although the part I compiled is slightly delayed, it will be caught up as soon as possible."

Now that I've been asked this question, there's no way to avoid it. I have to express my willingness to make up for it as soon as possible.

He really had no intention of going against the government, he just wasn't busy enough.

Mu Miao was in office for six years, and it was common to take three to five years to compile the Veritable Records according to convention. However, Zhang Juzheng forced the deadline to be shortened in order to meet the performance evaluation requirements.

The editing process only started in October last year, but the deadline for the book is to be completed before August next year!
The Veritable Records were compiled four years after the death of Emperor Sejong. Who would have thought that they would be completed within two years of the death of Emperor Mujong?

The incident happened suddenly. He had invited many colleagues to give lectures a year or two in advance. He couldn't cancel it without reason, right?

Zhao Zhigao was thinking a lot.

The emperor nodded and asked curiously, "Catch up as soon as possible...Will Zhao Qing not give lectures next year?"

Zhao Zhigao's heart skipped a beat and he felt dizzy.

No wonder Tu Xiying walked out with an ugly look on his face. The little emperor was too strict!

I'm planning to make up for it, why do I have to bring up the lecture?
He couldn't think of how to respond for a moment, so he had to kneel down in panic.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhao Zhigao and shook his head with an incomprehensible expression.

He slowly said, "Now, the performance evaluation system has only been in pilot operation for a year, and the volume of affairs has increased dramatically. I understand that you are not used to it, so I have given you three years to adjust. While promoting and punishing officials, I have also increased or decreased the affairs of each department to make it appropriate."

"Since you said you would catch up with the progress of the compilation of the Veritable Records, I cannot be too harsh on you. I am just waiting to see the results."

"But, my father clearly issued an edict prohibiting court officials from giving lectures. Why did you turn a blind eye to it, Mr. Zhao?"

When Zhao Zhigao heard the emperor questioning him in a gentle voice, he pursed his lips and said nothing.

The previous emperor banned many things, including corruption, which is not less!
Besides, he is not the only one who gives lectures!

Besides, didn’t the emperor ever give orders indiscriminately?

Zhao Zhigao has been involved in teaching for decades, which is longer than the few years he has been an official. How can he just give it up?

When he was still studying, how much help did the Quzhou Qulu Lecture Club, Hangzhou Tianzhen Lecture Club, Longyou Shuinan Club, and Lanxi Lanyin Club provide him? How many good friends did he make?

Can these favors and connections be abandoned just like that?

At the beginning, he "had to arrive at the deadline and would not delay", so after becoming an official, does it mean that he has to "sever ties" with others?
After a long while, Zhao Zhigao replied stiffly: "Your Majesty, I am not giving a lecture, but just chatting with friends. Please understand, Your Majesty!"

The man was kneeling on the ground, and his tone was one of defiance.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun shook his head in disappointment.

He didn't mind sending Zhao Zhigao back to Zhejiang so that he could teach well.

But the problem now is that the Hanlin Academy, as a reserve place for eunuchs and assistant ministers, has already been ruined by Zhao Zhigao!
He studied under Qian Dehong, traveled under Wang Ji, had Li Chunfang as his tutor, and Zhao Zhenji as his mentor. He can be said to be a genuine descendant of the School of Mind and a disciple of Yangming.

This led to a large number of people gathering around Zhao Zhigao in the Hanlin Academy.

Luo Wanhua, the number one scholar in the second year of Longqing's reign, and Zhang Yuanqiang, the number one scholar in the fifth year of Longqing's reign, were both disciples of Wang Ji and treated Zhao Zhigao as their elders.

Geng Dingxiang and Zeng Tongheng, Jinshi of the Jiajing period, treated Zhao Zhigao as descendants of the Wang family in Zhejiang.

The younger generation of scholars such as Zou Dehan regarded Zhao Zhigao as their comrade and leader.

This group of people developed small groups within the Hanlin Academy and various ministries and government offices, and formed an alliance under the pretext of the Beijing Lecture Conference - "gathering comrades from the ministries, courts, and temples, and forming an alliance to give lectures in the monks' quarters of Xingshan Temple."

This kind of small academic group derived from within the court is not acceptable.

We can only start with the example of Zhao Zhigao and carry out spiritual attack.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun sighed and said, "Zhao Xiuzhuan, you are different from Tu Qing."

"He is a Jinshi of the Jiajing reign, so it's fine if he doesn't take the imperial father's order seriously. But you, Zhao Qing, are the third place winner of the imperial examination, a disciple of the emperor, chosen by my imperial father."

"Let alone loyalty to the emperor, why do you even forget about respecting your teacher?"

"Pretending to deceive and covering up with excuses, is this Zhao Qing's 'scratching away dirt and understanding the true nature'?"

To judge a person, you have to start from the key points.

Zhu Yijun knew a little about this prime minister of later generations.

As an orthodox leftist of Wang's school of thought, loyalty to the emperor may not matter to him, but if you ask him why he does not respect his teacher, he will probably feel uncomfortable.

Sure enough, Zhao Zhigao's expression was slightly moved after hearing the emperor's words.

Zhu Yijun pressed on step by step and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Qing."

"The purpose of a scholar's appointment is to put his knowledge into practice. If he is appointed to an official post without fully understanding his knowledge, it is like being appointed to cut without being able to wield a knife. If one is too busy with esoteric theories and lacks practical application, he will ultimately be unable to use his knowledge to serve the world."

"Have you listened to the master's teachings?"

If Zhao Zhigao was only slightly moved by the emperor's previous words.

After these words were spoken, Zhao Zhigao felt a little embarrassed.

The teacher of Zhao Zhigao mentioned by Zhu Yijun was Zhao Zhenji.

These words are naturally quoted from Zhao Zhenji's original words when he was teaching Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy.

Contrary to some stereotypes, Zhao Zhenji is a very responsible person.

During the Gengxu Rebellion, when Emperor Sejong asked for advice, the six ministries and nine officials were unable to utter a word the entire day. “The officials gathered together to discuss the matter, but remained silent the entire day.”

When asked about Xu Jie, he could only give a perfunctory reply, "You must have a good plan."

At this time, only Zhao Zhenji "raised his sleeves" and stepped forward to take on the important task - "there is no one who has the power to supervise the war and command all the generals to carry out the operations."

Similarly, although Lao Zhao also loves to lecture, he emphasizes "aspiring to be a sage, and lecturing to determine one's aspiration."

On the contrary, people will mock those who can only lecture but not do anything, saying "They are only concerned with abstruse ideas and lack practical application."

Only magic can defeat magic.

Zhu Yijun directly brought up Zhao Zhigao's teacher and strongly denied his behavior.

He looked at Zhao Zhigao quietly, waiting for his reaction.

……

There are many government offices outside Chengtian Gate, so naturally there are many people and gossips.

Especially since the emperor only inspected the Ministry of Personnel, he also went to the court to meet with court officials.

While the officials from various government offices were watching and inquiring, they couldn't help but talk about it.

In particular, the Hanlin Academy, which was only separated from the Ministry of Personnel by the Ministry of Works, had already been gathering in groups of three or five, talking and discussing.

In the duty room where Zhao Zhigao usually worked, there were desks and tables everywhere, but two of them were empty.

The remaining two Hanlin scholars in the room were sitting at their desks, talking to each other across the air.

"Your Majesty has been too influenced by Yuan Fu and Ding An Bo."

"Tubudang and Zhao Rumai have probably never suffered such humiliation in their lives."

A young man who looked no more than 20 years old, wearing the uniform of a Hanlin official, was writing something while sighing.

What happened next door soon spread to various government offices.

Many people felt sorry for Tu Xiying - how could a fourth-rank official be humiliated like this?

It’s really too harsh!

At least that's what Yu Shenxing thought, so he couldn't help but reveal it.

Li Changchun, who heard this, did not seem to understand the meaning and said casually: "If you don't persuade, you can't make progress; if you don't punish, you can't learn from it. This is especially true for politics." "Your Majesty can practice what you preach. This is not only due to the personal teachings of the two prime ministers, but also the words of the lecturers."

"I understand this principle, so you don't need to take credit for it."

Although Yu Shenxing is only 29 years old now, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi at an early age.

After five years of training in the Hanlin Academy, he has now been appointed as the emperor's daily lecturer, giving lectures in front of the emperor.

But perhaps because of his good family background and early success, Yu Shenxing often speaks without reservation.

For example, if he had to write articles privately about official affairs, he would talk about them with others.

A little frivolous.

Instead it was Li Changchun.

Although he is the same age as Yu Shenxing, and even as the first in the second class, he is ranked sixty places higher than Yu Shenxing.

However, because he was born in Sichuan, he had no support from his fellow villagers and lacked the educational resources of the Confucian classics school, and his official career was not even as good as Yu Shenxing.

After suffering a severe beating in the officialdom, Li Changchun gradually became more cautious in his conduct.

Yu Shenxing shook his head and corrected himself, "I'm not seeking credit, but I think the examination system is a little too hasty in seeking treatment."

"I know the cabinet is trying to quickly reverse the decline and correct official habits. The original intention is naturally good, but it is too harsh!"

“What used to take three years is now often compressed into one year.”

"We are too busy to write down the characters, so what about the local officials? I am afraid that they will impose severe punishments and harm the people in order to avoid punishment!"

From Yu Shenxing's perspective.

It was not a problem for Zhao Zhigao, who was in the same subject, to go and give lectures occasionally. After all, compiling the records was not an urgent matter.

According to previous progress, the compilation of the Veritable Records would not begin until four years after Sejong's death. Was anyone in a hurry?

As soon as the performance evaluation system was introduced, the cabinet acted as if it was demanding the completion of the task, compressing the deadline. This made it impossible for Zhao Zhigao, who loved lecturing, to complete the heavy task assigned by the cabinet.

This is not Zhao Zhigao's fault at all; it is clearly caused by the overly strict performance evaluation system!

Poor innocent Zhao Zhigao was even called to the Ministry of Personnel by the emperor to be reprimanded and humiliated.

Li Changchun rolled his eyes when he heard this.

Is it possible that it would take more than ten people in the past three to five years to write a six-year record, which would be too much time?

But after all, he is a colleague on duty, so it is not appropriate to speak too directly.

He could only joke: "Wu Zhongxing invited you to Fuque this morning, and Keyuan should have gone with the flow at that time."

Seeing that Li Changchun was unwilling to talk about this matter, Yu Shenxing looked at Li Changchun with dissatisfaction.

However, when Li Changchun mentioned Wu Zhongxing, he was somewhat emotional: "It's true that Wu Zhongxing made the right bet this time."

"I just heard that your Majesty took Wu Zhongxing and his men with him to the Ministry of Personnel. I'm afraid this will kill two birds with one stone, gaining both fame and the emperor's favor."

After hearing this, Li Changchun couldn't help but mutter: "They have offended everyone."

Yu Shenxing was about to speak.

Suddenly, a person walked in from outside the duty room. It was Wang Jiaping from the same department.

Seeing Wang Jiaping, they both shut their mouths at the same time.

Although Wang Zhongbo was only seven years older than the two of them, he was not easy to get along with - at least he could not be considered a close friend with whom he could casually talk about current affairs.

Wang Jiaping never gives people a cold shoulder, because he himself is not in a good mood towards anyone. They don’t know much about it in private, but when they are on duty, the two have never seen him smile at each other.

In addition, Wang Jiaping was upright and serious in his conduct, so people in the Hanlin Academy privately called him a "rectifiable person".

It is hard to say whether this is a compliment or a nickname to exclude others.

At first, all the Hanlin scholars thought that this person was just seeking fame and reputation.

When Wang Jiaping was compiling the Veritable Records, it involved Gao Gong's brother Gao Jie, who had bribed Zhao Wenhua when he was the Censor of Jiangdu. Gao Gong specifically asked Wang Jiaping to conceal the fact, but Wang Jiaping just walked away in anger.

When everyone found out about it, they cooperated in singing the man's name, following the pattern of a sedan chair being carried by people.

It stands to reason that since everyone has given you a good reputation, you should return the favor and sing it for everyone next time.

As a result, when it was Wang Jiaping's turn to carry the sedan chair, he was indifferent and did not join the others.

Everyone then realized that this guy was not only disrespectful to his superiors, but also didn't even give face to his colleagues!
It's good enough that such people are not excluded, and their colleagues don't dare to talk to them about any extraordinary topics anyway.

Li Changchun coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Is Zhong Bo back from the clan house? How did Zhao Rumai respond to the Ministry of Personnel?"

The Ministry of Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Revenue are separated from the Ministry of Personnel by a wall, and today many officials are eavesdropping over there.

Although Wang Jiaping went to the clan government to deliver a book on official business, he would inevitably pay some attention to it.

Wang Jiaping had just sat down and heard this without even looking up. He replied, "Nothing. His Majesty was displeased by the delay in the compilation of the Veritable Records, and he used Master Zhao's words to reprimand Zhao Rumai."

Li Changchun and Yu Shenxing looked at each other.

Is this nothing? How is it different from pointing your finger at someone and scolding them?
Yu Shenxing curiously asked, "And then?"

Wang Jiaping looked up at Zhao Zhigao's empty seat and said with a strange expression, "It is said that Zhao Rumai admitted his mistake and will apologize to Master Zhao in the newspaper tomorrow. He promised to dissolve the Imperial University Association and never talk about teaching again until he has completed his studies."

"Your Majesty also specially called the Ministry of Public Administration over and asked them to deliver the newspaper to the home of Master Zhao in Neijiang, Sichuan."

Li Changchun burst out laughing.

Then he quickly covered his mouth.

He coughed twice, shook his head and sighed, "Master Zhao once said, 'You can be an official and a student at the same time, and you will be able to handle things with ease.' When Zhao Rumai can handle things with ease and no longer gets a low grade in the exam, he will naturally be able to resume teaching."

Yu Shenxing is not as mean as Li Changchun.

Instead, he felt some empathy and sighed, "Your Majesty is really too harsh."

It would be too humiliating to confess in the newspaper.

It was clearly stated that even if one gets a poor grade in the exam, there is still a chance to correct it within a certain period of time.

Wang Jiaping suddenly said, "It's not that Your Majesty is strict, it's just that 'everything must have a beginning'."

"Your Majesty not only reprimanded Tubudang and Zhao Rumai, but also lavishly praised several people who had excellent test scores."

Among the three people present, all of them knew the historical allusions by heart.

Everything must have a beginning. It is easy to do it at the beginning, but it is difficult to start it without a beginning.

It is easier to do something when you first start it, but it will become difficult if you don't have a good start.

Wang Jiaping was speaking for the emperor from the perspective of central government affairs, which was of course correct.

But it is indisputable that Zhao Zhigao was caught as an example.

It depends on whose perspective you are speaking from.

Yu Shenxing shook his head secretly.

Wang Duanren did not speak for his colleagues, but instead made a rational speech. No wonder his colleagues liked him.

Yu Shenxing stopped talking and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Li Changchun took up the topic at the right time and asked: "I wonder who were rewarded?"

It is said that after three years of evaluation, there will be promotion.

Li Changchun couldn't help but be curious about what it took to get an excellent grade.

Wang Jiaping bent over his desk and wrote quickly, while answering casually: "For example, Wang Yongji, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

"The original quota of reed land in Bazhou and the four counties of Wuqing, Wen'an, Dacheng and Jinghai under the two prefectures of Shuntian and Hejian was 4,577 hectares, and 9,154 taels of silver were collected annually and stored in the Jieshen Treasury."

"But when the Ministry of Revenue checked this year, it found that only one or two out of ten of the taxes collected in previous years were used to finance the annexation of local tycoons and to fill the pockets of officials."

"The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Science and Technology gave him a high evaluation on the grounds that he investigated the malpractices in the capital."

"Or maybe Wang Xijue, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing."

"This year, there are 397 serious prisoners in Northern Zhili. Many of them are innocent and suffer injustice. Once they are brought to justice, they are unable to defend themselves. If they are accused of stealing, they are tortured in various ways, regardless of the truth. They confess under duress and some of the stolen goods are fake."

"In contrast, in Nanzhili, Minister Wang was always personally involved in everything. Whenever he encountered a serious prisoner, he would send him to the interrogating officials so that they would know the whole story and the reason. When he interrogated the criminal, he never tired of being detailed, thus giving justice to the people, enhancing the prestige of the Legislative Office, and giving him excellent evaluations."

Wang Jiaping told the story slowly, and Li Changchun seemed to be thinking about something.

Everything has a beginning.

Those who fail the exams in the first few years will definitely be punished the most severely, but they will also be rewarded the most generously.

It will be too late if you don’t find the way this year.

But now that the template case has come out, it may not be impossible to compete for it next year.

Thinking of this, Li Changchun couldn't help but curl his lips: "I wonder if anyone in such a leisurely government office as the Hanlin Academy can pass the exam."

The voice just fell.

The door was pushed open again.

The three of them looked up.

It was his immediate superior, Wang Xilie, Junior Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat and Academician in charge of the Hanlin Academy, who hurried in.

The three people quickly stood up and saluted.

"Master Wang."

"teacher."

Wang Xilie waved his hand to interrupt the three people's greetings and said hastily: "Quick, His Majesty has come to the Hanlin Academy! Follow me to greet him!"

He looked at Wang Jiaping again, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Finally, he couldn't help but remind her, "When you receive your reward later, don't speak ill of your colleagues."

　One chapter should be late
　　
　
(End of this chapter)