Once the screen was drawn aside, a voice drifted down from above.
"The moment We ascended the throne, the policy critics submitted joint memorials. Could it be that this was caused by Our own lack of virtue?"
The attention of every official present was instantly drawn upward.
One after another, they raised their eyes.
They saw the young emperor holding a volume of the *Analects* in one hand, propping himself against the imperial desk with his wrist, standing slightly half-risen, his expression filled with astonishment.
Even Feng Bao, standing at his side, was caught completely unprepared by this sudden move.
Inwardly, he seethed, making a mental note of the eunuch Zhang Jing, who had moved the screen away.
He then shot a wary glance at the young emperor, having no idea what kind of spectacle this was meant to be.
Gao Gong's brow furrowed deeply as well.
At present, only he possessed the standing to field such a question.
Looking up at the young emperor upon the imperial dais, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it has always been the practice of investigating censors to submit memorials based on hearsay.
"Now, perhaps the one being impeached has incurred both divine wrath and popular indignation, resulting in this spontaneous convergence. It is by no means a joint memorial, nor does it bear upon Your Majesty's sacred virtue.
"We beg Your Majesty to rest assured while listening to the court proceedings. We, Your subjects, are holding this court deliberation precisely to deal with this matter."
Seeing that the young emperor was unversed in state affairs, Gao Gong uncharacteristically offered a brief explanation.
In essence: this is none of your concern; go play by yourself.
Zhu Yijun knew very well in his heart that showing his face at a court deliberation was bound to put both Gao Gong and Feng Bao on high alert.
Therefore, he had to handle the bounds with utmost care.
He had to make sure he did not end up failing to strike a balance and instead being suppressed by the two of them joining forces—that would make him a laughingstock.
Having thought this through long ago, he got straight to the point: "Senior Grand Secretary, you court ministers may deliberate on this thoroughly; We shall not interfere much.
"It is only that these policy critics have all submitted memorials together, impeaching Our Companion, and Our Companion claims this is factional collusion. Either way, it sounds far too sensational. Could someone explain the circumstances to Us?"
*Deliberate however you like, draft whatever rescripts you want—I will not interfere.
I was merely frightened by all this talk of factions and joint impeachments.
Just explain to me what is going on. After all, I am bound to find out sooner or later.*
Even with matters put so plainly, no one spoke up for a moment.
Suddenly, Li Zaiting stepped forward from the ranks and cut in: "Your Majesty, this is a long story.
"To put it simply, the offices that Eunuch Feng holds violate ancestral law! It is the very fountainhead of disaster and turmoil!"
*Tsk, look at that keen eye for an opening.*
If Li Zaiting were not a jinshi, Zhu Yijun would have been tempted to grant him the post of Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial on the spot.
Ignoring Feng Bao's expression beside him, he asked with feigned bewilderment, "In what way does this violate ancestral law? If the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial is not held by an inner court official, should it be chosen from among the jinshi instead?"
The court officials certainly could not take that remark lying down.
Now that things had reached this point, they did not mind giving the emperor a bit of an education.
Minister of Works Zhu Heng, a semi-technocrat, fell right into the young emperor's trap on the spot.
He offered an amused chuckle and explained, "Your Majesty, the post of Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial is naturally held by an inner court official. However, according to ancestral law, he cannot concurrently serve as Superintendent of the Eastern Depot."
Zhu Yijun appeared to understand.
Turning to Feng Bao, he asked naively, "Companion, is this truly so?"
Feng Bao replied expressionlessly, as if reciting from a script: "This slave is a mere wretched creature of low birth; how could I understand the established precedents of the dynasty?
"The post of Superintendent of the Eastern Depot was bestowed upon me by the late emperor. The post of Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial was a promotion granted by Empress Dowager Li. This slave never heard any order to strip me of either post, so I simply held both concurrently.
"If the Empress Dowager approves the outcome of the court deliberation, this servant will naturally comply."
Say whatever you will, this matter ultimately could not bypass Empress Dowager Li.
You say it violates ancestral law; this servant was merely obeying orders from above.
Deliberate among yourselves as you please; I will accept whatever result you come to.
Zhu Yijun cast a discreet glance at Feng Bao, thinking that the man truly remained unshakeable as a rock.
Given the current intensity, with dozens of investigating censors and policy critics from the Offices of Scrutiny, the slightest mishandling would turn this into a major political cause célèbre for the dynasty.
Never mind his mother; even if the late emperor were resurrected, he might not be able to shield Feng Bao!
Back then, when the late emperor had treated Gao Gong as an adoptive father, Gao Gong had still been driven home by Xu Jie.
If that was how it had gone for an adult emperor and a Grand Secretary, how much more so for a regent empress dowager and a eunuch?
Yet Feng Bao acted with such utter confidence. The only explanation was that someone was about to turn traitor!
As long as some weighty court ministers stepped forward to stand against Gao Gong and lend their full support to Feng Bao, Empress Dowager Li could once again sit serenely in the arbiter's seat—and an arbiter could never be in the wrong.
As for who counted as a weighty court minister?
That would likely be someone on the level of the ministers of the Six Ministries... such as Yang Bo, or perhaps Lü Diaoyang.
At this thought, Zhu Yijun looked toward Minister of Rites Lü Diaoyang, the second-in-command of the New Faction.
Fortunately, he had requested to attend court and listen to state affairs these past few days precisely for this reason. Backstabbing was fine, but only after Feng Bao had suffered enough.
With an inquisitive look, he asked, "Minister Lü, as Minister of Rites, you must understand these established precedents of our dynasty best. We wonder why these two posts cannot be held concurrently?"
Lü Diaoyang had been lost in thought when his name was suddenly called, and he scrambled to collect himself.
He first offered a bow, then began, "This minister dare not claim to know best, but perhaps I may resolve Your Majesty's doubts. This Directorate of Ceremonial..."
Before he could finish, Zhu Yijun raised his hand to cut him off.
He only wanted the opening agreement; as for the rest, it was better left unsaid, lest something uncontrollable be uttered.
Zhu Yijun said, "Minister Lü, this court deliberation is a major affair of state. If the Ministry of Rites has no pressing business to discuss, why not accompany Us to the side hall to resolve Our doubts?"
*Whatever schemes you have brewing right now, hold them in for today.*
Lü Diaoyang opened his mouth, hesitating as if wanting to speak.
In the end, he tried to decline: "Your Majesty, this minister does indeed have matters to deliberate here."
*Then that is all the more reason not to let you deliberate!*
Zhu Yijun hastily looked to Gao Gong. "Senior Grand Secretary, dozens of policy critics have submitted memorials; this matter is far too grave. We feel uneasy in Our heart, yet it would be improper to disrupt the court deliberation. What if We borrow Minister Lü to resolve Our doubts?
"We ascended the throne at a tender age and are unversed in state affairs. Our Imperial Mother oversees the realm as regent, yet she is but a woman within the inner palace. She also needs Minister Lü to explain matters, so that she may understand the righteous indignation of the policy critics."
Listening to the young emperor's words, Gao Gong found that they made a good deal of sense.
The clamor of the policy critics was indeed formidable, but the emperor and empress dowager were, after all, women and children confined to the deep palace. He only feared they did not grasp the gravity of the situation.
Very well, letting Lü Diaoyang give them a proper explanation of the current state of affairs would be for the best.
With this in mind, he turned to Lü Diaoyang. "Minister Lü, leave the matters of the Ministry of Rites for tomorrow's deliberation. His Majesty has summoned you; how can you decline?"
Lü Diaoyang felt the memorial inside his robe, feeling bitter inside.
With the policy critics bringing up ancestral precedents, this was a golden opportunity.
Everyone claimed Feng Bao held two concurrent offices and violated ancestral law.
That was certainly true... but was Gao Gong not doing the exact same thing?
He already held the rank of Senior Grand Secretary, yet he still served as the grand minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
The weapon of ancestral law might be useless in the hands of a mere eunuch like Feng Bao, but for civil officials, it applied universally.
Gao Gong acted with such brazen audacity only because he assumed the court officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Courts were of one mind with him.
Yet the moment an official laid bare that Gao Gong's concurrent posts were no different from Feng Bao's,
this impeachment of Feng Bao would turn into an impeachment of both the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Senior Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat. Either both would be dismissed, or both would be retained.
Ancestral precedents could hardly be applied selectively, could they?
When that time came, both the New Faction and Empress Dowager Li could smooth things over. Under the pretext of maintaining political stability, both men would be let off lightly.
Not only that, but in this massive wave of impeachments, why had the policy critics only used ancestral law to attack Feng Bao while completely ignoring Gao Gong?
The Senior Grand Secretary might be unaware, but were these critics acting for the sake of the realm, or were they merely using this as a pretext to make trouble?
Once an investigation was launched, someone would have to take the fall.
Those policy critics, along with their leader, Censor Ge Shouli, would bear the brunt of it!
And the claim of factional collusion that Feng Bao had raised earlier could serve as the perfect pretext to intervene in the Censorate.
Simply put, what the New Faction needed to do now was fish Feng Bao out of the water while severing one of Gao Gong's arms.
In this way, they would keep the fire from burning too fiercely—preventing political upheaval—while still pinning Gao Gong down until he had no choice but to retire with dignity.
This was the tacit understanding reached with Feng Bao.
It was also the instruction Zhang Juzheng had left behind before departing.
Today, they had originally intended to have Yang Bo turn traitor and expose this layer.
As it turned out, Yang Bo's own record was not clean. The moment the court deliberation began, he had been chased back to submit a self-assessment of his faults and memorialize for his own dismissal.
If Yang Bo could not do it, so be it; he had only joined midway anyway. Lü Diaoyang could just as easily step in.
He had the memorial from the Supervising Secretary of the Office of Scrutiny for Rites ready inside his robes, waiting for an opportunity to strike!
Yet his arrangements had been thoroughly derailed by the emperor.
This left him wondering inwardly whether today was simply an unlucky day.
Now, under the watchful eyes of the emperor and the Senior Grand Secretary, he understood that the moment had passed.
Yang Bo and he were ministers of the Six Ministries, possessing sufficient weight. Other policy critics were simply not qualified to speak before Gao Gong.
Back then, when Supervising Secretary of the Office of Scrutiny for Revenue Cao Daye had impeached Gao Gong on ten capital crimes, he had been banished the very next day to serve as an administrative assistant in Qianzhou, without making the slightest ripple.
When facing Gao Gong, one could not afford to take things step by step.
Very well. He would wait for tomorrow's court deliberation. Gao Gong would not be able to escape this fate in the end.
With these thoughts, he bowed toward the imperial dais and replied, "Since Your Majesty insists, how would this minister dare disobey?"
Zhu Yijun nodded in satisfaction, turned away from the imperial dais, and entered the side hall.
Lü Diaoyang followed helplessly.
As he passed his colleagues, he exchanged a glance with Wang Guoguang, quietly giving him a look.
He also gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head toward Feng Bao, whose expression was dark.
...
Lü Diaoyang had originally headed toward the side hall, but when he arrived, the eunuch Zhang Jing informed him that the emperor was waiting for him outside Wenhua Hall.
Baffled, he exited Wenhua Hall.
Sure enough, he saw the emperor waiting outside.
Lü Diaoyang hurried forward to salute. "Your Majesty."
Zhu Yijun nodded and explained, "We have given it some thought. Our Imperial Mother is likely kept in the dark about this matter as well.
"Our natural talent is dull, and We fear We might not fully grasp Minister Lü's words.
"Why doesn't Minister Lü accompany Us to see Our Imperial Mother, so you may explain it to Us and Our Imperial Mother together?"
Lü Diaoyang was taken aback, then said in embarrassment, "Your Majesty, how could this minister casually set foot into the inner palace..."
Zhu Yijun smiled. "We are going to Our Qianqing Palace. Our Imperial Mother is currently in Our side hall, receiving congratulations from the Duke of Chengguo."
With that, he turned and headed toward Qianqing Palace.
He did not forget to wave his hand, motioning for Lü Diaoyang to follow.
Having no alternative, Lü Diaoyang had to trail behind.
Zhu Yijun strolled ahead at an unhurried, leisurely pace, speaking casually: "Minister Lü, why not tell Us first: why can these two posts not be held concurrently?"
There had to be some prelude; he could not immediately ramp up the pressure on Lü Diaoyang right from the start.
Lü Diaoyang said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is a long story.
"To put it simply, the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial is excessively vast. Everything from dispatching regional grand eunuchs, presiding over prisoner reviews alongside the Three Judicial Offices, supervising garrisons, to managing the Eastern Depot falls under its purview.
"The Seal-holding Eunuch and the Senior Grand Secretary hold the levers of power in tandem. The Assistant and Brush-wielding Eunuchs, along with those overseeing the Document Office, hold authority comparable to Vice Grand Secretaries. Their subordinates and minor palace attendants style themselves as 'inner Hanlin scholars.' In particular, the palace eunuchs supervise the Ministry of Personnel, overseeing appointments and assignments.
"This is the civil sphere.
"Meanwhile, the imperial commissioner supervising the officers and clerks of the Eastern Depot commands hundreds of depot guards and thousands of servitors. They possess weapons and armor, with the authority to arrest, surveil, and root out treachery.
"This is the military sphere.
"If the powers of both are combined in the hands of a single person, the vast authority of the inner court falls entirely within his grasp. This is no different from handing over the hilt of a sword to an enemy, and it is the fountainhead of disaster and turmoil."
No matter how he planned to turn traitor, the moral high ground could not be abandoned.
Whatever one did, one's spoken words had to stand on sound principle.
Zhu Yijun gave an "oh" of understanding. "So that's how it is. Thus, the ancestral system relies on checks and balances between the great and the small?"
Lü Diaoyang's eyelid twitched, and he hurriedly corrected him: "Your Majesty, this is an interlocking of functions, civil and military sustaining each other. It is not the practice of setting the small against the great or pitting discordant views against each other."
Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly, acting as if he were deeply enlightened.
Seeing this, Lü Diaoyang continued, "Our dynasty has many such established precedents. For instance, both the Censorate and the Transmission Office have left and right chiefs appointed.
"Similarly, local military and civil administration is divided between the Grand Coordinator and the Provincial Three Commissions.
"Earlier, when the Senior Grand Secretary was impeached by Cao Daye, asserting that one serving as Senior Grand Secretary ought not concurrently hold the post of Minister of Personnel, it was based on the exact same reasoning."
He smoothly slipped in his own agenda, subtly shaping the young emperor's perception.
Unfortunately, when two slippery old hands met, neither lacked a veneer of slick cunning.
"The Senior Grand Secretary?" Zhu Yijun took up the cue at just the right moment, as if suddenly recalling something. "So that's it! Had Minister Lü not mentioned it, We wouldn't have remembered. Now it strikes Us that this is identical to what Grand Secretary Zhang told Us."
He looked utterly candid, as though it were true beyond doubt.
Lü Diaoyang froze. "Grand Secretary Zhang spoke of this to Your Majesty?"
Zhu Yijun wore a reminiscing expression. "On the second day of the sixth month, Grand Secretary Zhang laid out the realm's great maladies before Us.
"He spoke of taxation, land surveys, opening maritime trade, and official administration, giving quite a few examples.
"When discussing imbalances in the bureaucratic system, he touched upon the Senior Grand Secretary, Companion Feng, and the affairs of the Northern and Southern Zhili."
The second day of the sixth month had been the day of Zhang Juzheng's private imperial audience.
Naturally, Zhang Juzheng had never said any of these things. However, since only the two of them had been present at the time, whatever had been said would henceforth be decided by Zhu Yijun alone.
Never mind that Zhang Juzheng was not here; even if he were present, he would have had to pinch his nose and admit it.
If you liked playing dumb while knowing the truth, then you could stay muddled forever.
This, however, completely threw Lü Diaoyang off balance.
*Just what on earth did Grand Secretary Zhang say to His Majesty?!*
As an experienced hand in court politics, Lü Diaoyang could not simply believe everything he heard. He probed cautiously, "Grand Secretary Zhang never mentioned this matter to this minister."
Zhu Yijun looked at him strangely. "What? Does Minister Lü make a habit of spying on imperial audiences?"
Lü Diaoyang's face went dark, and he hurriedly apologized: "This minister..."
Zhu Yijun was only joking to tease the old man.
He chuckled and waved his hand. "Perhaps it is because Minister Lü is not a Grand Secretary; saying too much would be beyond your understanding.
"Otherwise, why do you think We supported the Evaluation Law, humbling Ourselves to invite the daily lecture lecturers to evaluate Our schoolwork alongside the Two Palaces?"
Now Lü Diaoyang truly hesitated.
The emperor's support for the Evaluation Law had buoyed the New Faction for a long time.
Yet what motives lay behind it had always remained unexplained.
Looking at it now, could it truly have been Zhang Juzheng's covert influence?
Zhu Yijun gave Lü Diaoyang ample time to think, surreptitiously observing his expression.
Seeing the conflicted look clearly emerging on the man's face, he struck while the iron was hot: "Not only the Evaluation Law—everything Grand Secretary Zhang spoke of that day resonated deeply with Us.
"Land surveys, the Single Whip Law, the restructuring of the Beijing garrisons, maritime transport, government schools, and so on—they truly opened Our eyes!
"Minister Lü, this is what it means to plan for the ancestral temple and the state. You should learn more from Grand Secretary Zhang."
Zhu Yijun strolled along leisurely, his words dripping with heartfelt sincerity.
*The New Faction?*
*Who says it must be Zhang Juzheng's New Faction? Why can't it be My New Faction?*
Of course, he would not swallow Zhang Juzheng's new measures whole.
As for their limitations—to say nothing of other issues, the forced and fabricated reporting in the land surveys, and the Single Whip Law's disregard for economic realities that ended up tormenting the north—he could never accept such things.
Naturally, following the old rule, he would not contest naming rights; the contents could simply be optimized.
There was no need for him to vie with Zhang Juzheng for credit.
Lü Diaoyang, however, had no inkling of the emperor's thoughts.
Even with all his practiced composure, he could not stop his brow from furrowing repeatedly, his hand scratching his arm in agitation.
*The consensus between Grand Secretary Zhang and the emperor actually surpassed what he shared with me, his deputy of many years and trusted confidant?!*
Zhang Juzheng had never spoken of these things to him in such comprehensive detail!
Regarding the Beijing garrisons, he had only heard a few vague sentences.
And what was to be reformed regarding government schools and maritime transport?
By this point, it was no longer mere suspicion, but a tinge of bitterness.
He had kept secrets from an old friend of so many years, yet had laid everything bare before a ten-year-old sovereign.
*Truly, once one masters civil and martial arts, one ultimately sells them to the imperial house.*
With words already at the tip of his tongue, he could only force an awkward smile: "Yes, this minister ought to learn more from Grand Secretary Zhang."
Zhu Yijun suddenly stopped and turned around.
He looked earnestly at Lü Diaoyang. "Yet what Minister Lü just said also aligns quite well with Grand Secretary Zhang's words.
"Companion Feng and the Senior Grand Secretary are indeed somewhat at odds with ancestral law.
"So, Minister Lü, what is your view on this impeachment by the policy critics?"
Chapter 33