"We inquire after Your Highness's well-being," Gao Gong spoke, standing at the head of the civil and military ranks.
"We are well," Zhu Yijun replied.
"Looking up at our lord's countenance, your subjects make bold to submit a memorial," Gao Gong continued.
"Present it," Zhu Yijun said.
The Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Nine Ministers, and the supervising censors and censorial officials prostrated themselves once more.
"We humbly submit: The succession of the radiant sun to sustain its brilliance has long accorded with the hearts of the people.
"As for our late Emperor, his Yao-like benevolence was vast, his Shun-like virtue towering. In studying the Six Classics and governing the ten thousand affairs of state, he personally attended to every duty without remiss.
...
"We reverently look to Your Highness the Crown Prince, of preeminent brilliance, possessing a nature of filial piety and benevolence. You ought forthwith to emerge from the Zhen realm to take up the supreme leadership of our hosts, yet you maintain modest humility and cling to ritual propriety.
...
"Your ministers reflect that the sacred vessel of state cannot be left without a master, nor can the heavenly throne remain vacant for long. We prostrate ourselves and beseech Your Highness to grant the divine spirits of the Nine Ancestral Temples a vessel upon which to rely, and bestow boundlessly upon the millions of commoners across the realm the benefits they depend upon."
Zhu Yijun wore a blank, placid expression, his thoughts already wandering far away, not listening to a single word.
To sum it up in his own words: on the first day of the sixth month of the sixth year of Longqing, the second plenary session of the Great Ming Dynasty's Thirteenth New Emperor Nomination Committee was taking place in Wenhua Hall.
Representatives from all quarters, headed by Gao Gong, quoted the classics and delivered speeches, nominating him, Zhu Yijun, to be the big boss.
Once the reading concluded, Zhu Yijun took on a faintly mournful look and delivered his rote, rigid lines in the tone of a reciter: "You ministers act for the supreme sake of the dynastic altars, and your words are deeply earnest. Yet having heard them, our grief only intensifies. How could we bear to hasten onto the great throne? Your request is denied."
This was playing the fool. Being moderately bright was harmless, but he could not afford to act like a seasoned thespian; a wooden, schoolchild recital fit his persona best.
"We beseech Your Highness to think twice!" Zhang Juzheng urged once more.
"Our mind is resolved!" Zhu Yijun replied with firm resolve.
"If so, the state cannot remain without a master for a single day. We pray Your Highness oversee affairs of state as the heir apparent, and ascend the imperial throne once your sorrow has subsided," Gao Yi stepped forward to propose.
"Overseeing affairs is permissible. All else shall be discussed later!" Zhu Yijun relented.
"Furthermore, we pray Your Highness select an auspicious date to relocate to Qianqing Palace, thereby assuming your rightful seat as master of the imperial city!" The ministers kowtowed.
"Granted! Instruct the Ministry of Rites to deliberate and propose the date," Zhu Yijun agreed.
These were all procedures settled in advance by the Ministry of Rites. Ruler and ministers only had to recite their lines, and the performance went off without a hitch.
Zhu Yijun had no intention of making big news right now. The form of court ritual was itself the substance, and it was also his foundation for the moment. Until he established another political base, he could not carelessly dismantle it.
Every formal refusal carried actual significance.
The previous refusal at Huiji Gate, under the gaze of all beneath the bright sun, had symbolized that the emperor had passed away and the heir was established, carrying the weight of a public proclamation.
This refusal in Wenhua Hall, held in the emperor's private hall before bowing ministers, used protocol to confirm Zhu Yijun's authority and duty to oversee government affairs. At the same time, it arranged his move to take up residence in Qianqing Palace, demarcating boundaries between ruler and ministers in the outer court and ordering the hierarchy within the inner court.
By the next round, he could accept their petitions and assume the throne with complete legitimacy.
Zhu Yijun twisted his somewhat stiff neck. He was still in the body of a young child, and sitting erect for long stretches was rather grueling.
Fortunately, before long, ruler and ministers exchanged the final lines of dialogue, and the routine was finally complete.
Afterward, the civil and military representatives who were merely there to make up the numbers, along with officials lacking sufficient rank, filed out one after another, leaving behind only key dignitaries such as the heads of the Six Ministries and the Nine Courts.
Zhu Yijun realized that the real deliberation was about to begin.
Crowds were needed to show overwhelming support during petitions to ascend, but when it came to deliberating affairs at the heart of the empire, not just anyone was qualified.
As the saying went: hold small meetings for major affairs, and large meetings for trivial matters.
Zhu Yijun intended to observe closely, but two young eunuchs carried forward a screen and placed it before the imperial desk, blocking the view between inside and outside and obscuring his vision.
He shook his head in resignation. This was what they called "listening to governance"—he could listen, but he could not interject.
He had just enjoyed the spectacle of hundreds of officials kowtowing and hailing him as their sovereign, only to turn around and find that when it came to central policymaking, he was merely an attendee without the right to participate. The contrast was stark.
Feng Bao stood by the side of the screen, occupying a vantage point that bridged the inner and outer areas.
As the Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he held immense power and naturally had the standing to take part in court deliberations.
Zhu Yijun called out to Feng Bao, "Eunuch-Attendant, is attendance at the regular court audience restricted only to officials of certain ranks?"
Feng Bao took two steps from the side of the screen to draw closer. "Your Highness, there is no fixed number of officials attending the regular audience. By custom, the Grand Secretariat leads the session. When there are matters for the various ministries and yamen to deliberate and execute, those ministries send officials. Ministers and vice ministers can come directly as needed; attendance is not decided by rank alone. When specific matters are involved, even unranked petty officials are occasionally summoned."
Zhu Yijun nodded in understanding.
He was not very familiar with these customs. If not for the memories of his predecessor, he would have assumed hundreds of people stood below while he sat above shouting, "Speak if there is business, depart if there is none!"
Now it seemed more like an executive leadership meeting from his previous life.
He glanced at Feng Bao again. The chief eunuch looked deferential, showing not the slightest hint of resentment.
Zhu Yijun suddenly tugged at Feng Bao's sleeve, adopting an aggrieved look. "Gao Gong is so overbearing and despotic. We had no choice but to let you lose face, Eunuch-Attendant. You have been wronged."
In politics, playing young and vulnerable was nothing to be ashamed of.
Placating Feng Bao was necessary. Let him and Gao Gong tear into each other; Zhu Yijun had no desire to draw fire onto himself.
His predecessor had been forced to kneel in penitence before the spirit tablet and issue a self-reproach edict, a memory that kept warning bells ringing in his mind.
It was fine to let Feng Bao suffer a bit, but Gao Gong ought to bear the hatred.
Feng Bao lowered his head deeply. "Your Highness honors this servant too much!"
A flicker of malice flashed through his eyes before vanishing.
Zhu Yijun said in a low voice, "Set your mind at ease, Eunuch-Attendant. Once we ascend the throne, we will certainly teach Gao Gong a lesson!"
As he spoke, he even waved a small fist and let out a cold huff.
Feng Bao looked up, glittering tears welling in his eyes as if about to spill over. "Your Highness..."
*What incredible acting,* Zhu Yijun marvelled inwardly. If the pretty-boy actors in his previous life had possessed even half this skill, would he have ever lost patience with television dramas?
With both men harboring their own hidden motives, the court deliberations proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The Minister of Justice exchanged a look with the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Only then did the former draw a memorial from his sleeve, stepping forward to speak: "This is a case forwarded from Huguang.
"It concerns a mining-tax eunuch who allegedly attempted to assault a woman and had his tongue bitten off. As the matter touches the inner court, the local authorities and the Ministry of Justice find it difficult to decide on our own."
He looked toward the Grand Secretaries, paused, and then looked toward Feng Bao. "Grand Secretaries, Chief Eunuch Feng, the Ministry of Justice wishes to know whether this warrants a joint court inquiry. Once a course of action is decided among you, our ministry can submit it to the palace."
Behind the screen, Zhu Yijun nearly coughed out loud. A eunuch assaulting a woman? What kind of joke was this? Had he misheard?
He could not help but glance at Feng Bao.
Feng Bao moved to the side of the screen and replied expressionlessly, "The Directorate of Ceremonial is already aware of the particulars. The Ministry of Justice may handle it according to the statutes."
Below, Gao Gong immediately spoke up as well: "Handle it according to the statutes and report the facts truthfully."
Handling it according to the statutes meant they were genuinely going to treat this as a case of a eunuch assaulting a woman. A rare consensus had been reached between the two.
Zhu Yijun was taken aback. Didn't they realize how preposterous this sounded?
A mining-tax eunuch...
The Huguang region...
Suddenly, the truth dawned on him!
What criminal case? This was an outright ambush on an imperial commissioner!
The eunuch had not been sent to levy taxes, but to inspect them. Put plainly, he was an imperial auditor dispatched by the central court.
Yet this very auditor—a castrated creature—had supposedly neglected his audits upon reaching the provinces and gone off to assault a woman?
Who were they trying to fool?
This was no difficult legal case; it was a brazen contest between the local authorities and the central government. No wonder the Ministry of Justice had dared not resolve it and punted it straight to the court deliberations.
Huguang had reported this to the Ministry of Justice as a eunuch assaulting a woman. Did they not know how laughable that was?
They had utter confidence that they could get away with it! In fact, it was likely deliberate!
To drive an imperial envoy away on such a ridiculous pretext was audacious in the extreme.
And most absurd of all, faced with such a provocation, the central court had backed down without the slightest hesitation!
Just how deep were the waters surrounding Huguang's mining revenues?
Unfortunately, he was not permitted to speak freely during court sessions, enjoying even less freedom than Feng Bao.
He could only intervene after the Ministry of Justice submitted its formal memorial and the Grand Secretariat drafted its proposals for the Two Palaces.
The matter passed so lightly, as though of no consequence at all. The Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review exchanged a look and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Next, Zhang Juzheng introduced the subsequent topic.
"A few days ago, I petitioned the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort that, in order not to disrupt the Crown Prince's studies, His Highness need only attend court on the third, sixth, and ninth days of each ten-day cycle. On remaining days, daily lectures shall proceed as normal. I also petitioned to restructure His Highness's curriculum and add further classics. Both Palaces have granted their approval.
"The various ministries and the Directorate of Ceremonial are hereby notified."
Having finished, he said no more.
Unable to see clearly, Zhu Yijun leaned forward repeatedly, peering through the screen at Zhang Juzheng.
His current daily lectures took place only in the mornings, and the content consisted merely of reciting the Four Books and Five Classics. The workload was hardly heavy, equivalent in modern terms to half-day schooling with only a single literature class.
Yet judging from Zhang Juzheng's words, the man meant to pile on the burden.
Fine, truly a wonderful teacher. Could it be he feared his student had too light a courseload and too much idle time to meddle in state affairs?
He had somewhat anticipated this development, which was part of why he had made a show of clinging to Gao Yi earlier in front of the hall. After all, he knew well from history that Zhang Juzheng had a reputation as a ruthlessly strict imperial tutor.
Gao Yi was different: an inoffensive, amiable old man with little presence. Thrusting Gao Yi forward as a buffer between them was vital to buy himself some breathing room.
The most important reason was that, compared to Gao Gong and Feng Bao, he did not yet dare to match wits directly against Zhang Juzheng, who was renowned for his extraordinary intellect.
Zhang Juzheng's announcement caused no stir among the assembled ministers.
The Ming dynasty was not like the Han or Northern Song; classical scholars were currently preoccupied with competing for influence within literati circles and had little interest in vying for control over the emperor's education.
Whether the emperor's workload was heavy or light was none of their concern.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Gao Yi followed immediately after.
"Right Censor-in-Chief, concurrent Minister of War, and Appointed Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da Military Affairs, Wang Chonggu, has submitted a memorial. Let us deliberate upon it together."
Behind the screen, Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao in confusion, "Eunuch-Attendant, are those three different people or one person? If it is one person, how can he hold so many key posts at once?"
The long string of titles had left him thoroughly baffled.
Asking when confused was a good habit, and it was also the whole point of attending governance.
Feng Bao bowed slightly. "Your Highness, such is our dynasty's official system. The latter post, Supreme Commander, is a special commission, only temporary. It signifies supreme command over the military affairs of Xuanfu and Datong. Because the authority is immense, it can only be granted by temporary appointment."
Zhu Yijun nodded. This was to prevent regional commanders from growing too powerful; the post could be revoked at any time.
Feng Bao continued, "The former are substantive official ranks, held without actual duties, serving only to define status and perquisites. Right Censor-in-Chief denotes that Supreme Commander Wang possesses the privilege to memorialize based on hearsay and report directly to the throne. Minister of War denotes that he holds the authority to deploy troops."
Put that way, Zhu Yijun understood.
Even so, this Wang Chonggu was truly a regional potentate of the highest order.
Gao Yi continued, "Supreme Commander Wang reports that upon learning of the late Emperor's passing, the Tatars have been prowling along the border passes, making repeated extortionate demands. Fearing incidents may arise, he requests the central court's decision.
"At the same time, he requests the allocation of silver funds to carry out repairs for autumn defense, to guard against unforeseen developments."
As Gao Yi's voice fell, the hall fell abruptly silent.
Censor-in-Chief Ge Shouli remarked in surprise, "Is this not the advice of a seasoned, prudent statesman? It should naturally be granted. Why must it be brought before the regular court audience for debate?"
Gao Gong snapped his head around, fixing his gaze upon Minister of War Yang Bo. "Minister Yang, do you think so as well? Is this the consensus of your Ministry of War?"
Ge Shouli was startled. Sensing the foul atmosphere, he clamped his mouth shut at once.
Singled out by Gao Gong, Yang Bo remained silent for a moment.
In a strained voice, he said, "I truly knew nothing of this matter. Let our ministry return to deliberate before submitting our view to the Grand Secretariat."
Gao Gong let out a cold snort, visibly displeased.
Zhu Yijun was entirely out of the loop. Adhering to the principle of not being ashamed to learn from his subordinates, he asked, "Eunuch-Attendant, what is the story behind this?"
Feng Bao offered a slight smile. "Your Highness, this old servant is a useless person. I neither understand major affairs of state nor dare to speak nonsense."
Zhu Yijun withdrew his inquiring gaze, sneering inwardly. *You old fox, playing dumb now and giving me no face. There will come a day when you weep.*
He pulled his thoughts back and began to ponder quietly.
Just now, like that Censor-in-Chief, he had assumed this was sound statecraft with nothing amiss. But judging by Gao Gong's reaction, there was clearly something fishy going on.
What was wrong with it...?
Wait!
He had nearly forgotten that this was the Ming dynasty, not the information age!
How many days had passed since the late Emperor died? Five days!
How could the Tatars have found out so quickly? And even made repeated extortions?! The memorial had already reached the imperial desk!
What Tatar extortion? It was likely extortion of the central court by that Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da!
*Using foreign threats to inflate one's own power.* The phrase burst into his mind.
No wonder. No wonder the civil and military officials hemmed and hawed, and no wonder Gao Gong had suddenly lost his temper.
Then what did this have to do with Minister of War Yang Bo?
Wang Chonggu, Yang Bo... Zhu Yijun turned the two names over in his mind.
He looked toward Feng Bao and asked, "Eunuch-Attendant, where is Wang Chonggu from?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Feng Bao's eyes before quickly vanishing.
He replied softly, "Puzhou, Shanxi."
"And Minister of War Yang Bo?"
This time Feng Bao's expression did not change as he answered, "Puzhou, Shanxi."
Zhu Yijun understood in an instant.
The Shanxi Faction!
It really was them!
He had no strong impression of those individuals' names, but the Shanxi Faction was something he remembered immediately; it was all too familiar.
The patrons behind the Shanxi merchants who swept across the nation.
The backing behind the quasi-warlord autonomy of Xuanfu and Datong.
The fifth column that would later support the Manchu Qing.
On his very first day attending court, what a grand welcoming gift they had presented him.
No, it was more than that.
Zhu Yijun suddenly caught on.
Today seemed to be nothing but welcoming gifts.
Huguang's tax resistance was the local gentry flexing their muscles—a test and a warning aimed at the central government's fiscal authority.
The Shanxi Faction's extortion was the Xuan-Da military frontier using border threats to enhance their own standing—an intimidation and mockery aimed at the central court's military command.
Even Zhang Juzheng's move to increase his coursework was a measure by the Grand Secretariat to discipline and constrain him.
Was this his first lesson in attending governance?
And who was teaching him this lesson?
Yet he could not even lash out.
It was one thing for his predecessor, who lacked the capability. But even now that he had taken over, possessing broad vision and ambition, he could only proceed slowly step by step.
Why? Because he did not dare!
Being a Ming emperor was a high-risk occupation.
Imperial Physician Liu Wentai had treated two emperors to death in a row—Xianzong and Xiaozong—and still retired home in glory.
Wuzong and Xizong had both happened to fall into the water while boating, lingered without recovering, and mounted the dragon to the heavens.
Emperor Jiajing, Shizong, had nearly been strangled to death by palace maids, and on his southern tour his temporary palaces caught fire three times; had Lu Bing not carried him out on his back, he would have been roasted crisp long ago.
Who could guarantee there was no foul play behind those incidents?
Was he indulging in conspiracy theories?
When the Guangxu Emperor died, the historical records documented his medical case in exhaustive detail, asserting beyond doubt that he died of illness. Yet in modern times, an exhumation and autopsy revealed arsenic residue in his hair; he had clearly been poisoned to death!
In scholarship, one presumed innocence until proven guilty, but now that he was inside the game, he had no choice but to assume the worst and tread with utmost caution.
So, how should he receive today's lesson?
---
Note 1: Xuanfu requested a three-year exemption from the spring and autumn garrison rotations of Henan defense troops, commuting it to an annual payment of over seventeen thousand taels of silver for local defensive repair works. — *Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong of Ming*
Note 2: During the Longqing reign, eunuchs dispatched for mining taxes merely inspected tax collection rather than directly levying it. Only in the twenty-fourth year of Wanli did they begin directly collecting mining and commercial taxes, which triggered the Huguang Mining Tax Case that shook the court.
Note 3: "[Eunuch commissioners] for army supervision, procurement, grain taxes, mining customs, and the like, being ad hoc appointments, were too numerous to record." — *Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty*
Chapter 5