Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 281 Ju Zheng vomits blood and drives his troops out of the court!

Yu Shenxing, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was deeply grateful to Zhang Juzheng for his recognition and support.

But when he received a handwritten letter from his fellow senior brother Huang Qing, asking him to advocate for the seizure of love in the court, he immediately slammed the table and stood up.

There are thousands of people under the Prime Minister’s command now, all of them are talented.

However, having talent does not necessarily mean having virtue, and Yu Shenxing is precisely a person who has both talent and virtue.

In Shenxing's heart, looking around the court and the country, he believes that the teacher is the person who can best assist the emperor's cause.

Because of this, Yu Shenxing believes that in addition to ability, teachers should pay more attention to morality, especially ethics, and should set a qualified role model for the people of the world.

When the Prime Minister lost his father, the Emperor wrote a handwritten letter to praise his filial piety. But now, the Prime Minister is seeking to retain his position on conditional consent. As the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, he must correct himself before correcting others. How can the people of the world be convinced by this?
Facing Huang Qing's insults that he was betraying his master and ancestors, Yu Shenxing did not hide his feelings at all, accusing his master and senior brothers of trampling on ethical principles and morals.

Huang Qing was so angry that he used his teacher's support to deceive Yu Shenxing, and Yu Shenxing almost fainted on the spot.

To repay a favor.

If you don't repay the favor, you can take off your official uniform.

Huang Qing said this in front of all the censors of the Censorate, and then returned to the Prime Minister's residence victoriously.

As the chief judge of a court, Yu Shenxing almost lost all face in front of his subordinates. He sat slumped in the chair for a long time before he propped himself up and wrote a memorial on the desk.

"According to the change, the great principles are made clear to establish the principles of the times.
In response to the change, Chen Yan made clear the great principles and established the principles of the times [Yuan Fu Shou Zhi]

Recently, the celestial phenomena have shown unusual changes, and the stars have changed in an unusual way. Your Majesty is very cautious and has warned all the ministers, both great and small, to reflect on themselves and work together to eliminate the problems. I, a humble and insignificant person, am grateful for this... so that future generations will not have any complaints. I humbly hope that Your Majesty will be lenient in punishment, be lenient in choosing the right person, and show your favor and accept my request. Your Excellency will be very fortunate, and I, a humble and humble minister, will be very fortunate."

More than a thousand words.

It expresses everything Yu Shenxing was thinking.

Yu Shenxing had it presented to Yuxi Palace, and then he wrote this petition again as it was written, and stopped writing.

He took off his official seal, official hat, and official seal, placed them on the court, and went to the prime minister's residence in a plain dress.

……

In the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Huang Qing recounted to Zhang Juzheng what had happened in the Censorate, without adding any exaggeration, but it was enough to make Zhang Juzheng angry.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng valued Yu Shenxing was that he valued Yu Shenxing's character and his refusal to follow the crowd.

He was not wrong about the person, but he never expected that the disciple's non-conformity would be directed at the mentor who hired him.

Just when Zhang Juzheng was feeling lucky, the housekeeper came and informed Yu Shenxing that he was coming to pay a visit.

Huang Qing was about to refuse on behalf of his teacher, but Zhang Juzheng raised his hand to signal him to shut up. After thinking for a long time, he finally asked the butler to bring the person in.

Yu Shenxing walked in, and when he saw his master, he bowed from a distance and said, "I am your disciple, respecting my teacher."

Zhang Juzheng, with a serious expression, nodded reluctantly.

Yu Shenxing, who also had a solemn expression, took out the memorial from his sleeve, raised his hands above his head, and said in a calm tone: "I have a memorial to make, and I would like to ask my teacher to take a look at it."

Thinking that his disciple had thought it through and was going to submit a memorial advocating for the seizure of power in the court, Zhang Juzheng's icy face slowly showed signs of breaking the ice. He glanced at Yu Shenxing unhappily and asked Huang Qing to take the memorial.

Zhang Juzheng took the memorial and first glanced at Yu Shenxing. Although this disciple was young, he stood straight and did not avoid his gaze at all, showing quite the air of a heroic minister.

After some training in the future, he will still be your right-hand man.

Zhang Juzheng opened the memorial and read it line by line, word by word. His face suddenly changed color, first red, then blue, and then white. His hands holding the memorial gradually began to tremble. After a long time, he took his eyes off the memorial and stared at Yu Shenxing, asking, "Has the memorial been submitted?"

Hearing this, Yu Shenxing smiled regardless of the occasion and said, "If the memorial had not been submitted, I would not have dared to show it to my teacher."

After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng fell silent, and Yu Shenxing also fell silent.

Huang Qing, who was standing next to him, was confused. What exactly was written in the memorial? Wasn't it a memorial advocating opinions to the court?
Suddenly, Zhang Juzheng shook his sleeves, threw the memorial at Yu Shenxing's feet, turned around and went back to the mourning hall.

Yu Shenxing stood behind Zhang Juzheng, bowed and saluted, then turned and left.

Huang Qing, who had no idea what was going on, picked up the memorial from the ground. At first glance, he saw that it said "The Yuanfu is a capable minister who is truly a blessing to the Ming Dynasty." With such praise, it's no wonder that the teacher blushed.

But then he changed the subject and said, "The love between father and son is human nature, and returning home to observe the rules is the ethical code." These are obviously not the words that should be used to advocate the removal of emotions from the court. They go against what the master thought. No wonder the master's face turned green, he was angry.

And in the final thought, "The final rule is three years, and not a single day can be lost; the act of seizing love will not be tolerated by heaven!"

This is not advocacy, this is clearly impeachment!

This time.

It was Huang Qing's turn to have his face change, just like the faces changing on the stage, and finally he turned pale.

The disciples impeached their mentor and wanted to expel him from the court.

This has never happened in the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years.

In the officialdom of every dynasty, there is an unwritten rule, that is, "loyal ministers must come from the homes of filial sons." A minister to his monarch or father must be a filial son.

The relationship between a master and his disciple is like that between a father and his son. If one seeks fame and fortune, he should serve the three masters, namely, the "chair master, the room master and the mentor" as if they were his fathers and relatives, as a student or disciple.

It is common for a master to expel his disciples, but it is uncommon for disciples to expel their masters. Once they do, both the master and the disciple will suffer losses, and will be criticized by the world for being unkind, unjust, disloyal and unfilial.

Mr. Teacher, I'm afraid you'll become a laughing stock among the people of the world!
Forget about trying to retain his position. Anyone with any shame would probably not even want to live.

Huang Qing's eyes were bloodshot. How dare this damn Yu Shenxing? How dare he?

Without time to think further, Huang Qing turned around and entered the mourning hall to check on his master's condition.

Zhang Juzheng was seen kneeling in front of the coffin, tears streaming down his face. Huang Qing rushed forward and knelt with him, saying, "Master..."

No matter how much he tried to persuade her, he just couldn't bring himself to say anything. No one could remain calm when their trusted disciple betrayed them at a critical moment.

"When Yan Song brought disaster to the country and the people, I didn't see his students impeaching him like this before he died. I still saw his student Hu Zongxian, who had a bright future, protect him at the cost of his title of marquis. When my mentor wanted to expel Gao Gong and me from the court, the impeachment memorials fell like snowflakes in the capital, but I didn't complain at all. Could it be... Could it be... Could it be that I, Zhang Juzheng, am not even as good as Yan Song?"

Zhang Juzheng's qi and blood were both reversed, as if there was something stuck in his throat. He couldn't help but spit it out, and immediately blood stained the ground.

Seeing blood all over his eyes, Zhang Juzheng could not hold on any longer and was about to fall backwards. Fortunately, Huang Qing was beside him and quickly supported his teacher. In a daze, Zhang Juzheng said in a faint voice, "Write a petition on my behalf, begging for the maintenance of the imperial mourning system!" After that, he fainted again.

When he was in the Qingliu group, Zhang Juzheng was subjected to countless attacks from the Yan Party, some of whom called him a villain and some even a beast, but he never took it seriously.

But now, Zhang Juzheng's defenses were completely broken. After serving as an official for nearly twenty years, he was not even as good as Yan Song, and even his favorite students betrayed him.

Two dark days a day.

The prime minister's residence simply closed the door and declined all condolences and sympathies.

On the way to submitting the memorial to the Yuxi Palace, Huang Qing heard countless discussions.

What happened in the Censorate and Yu Shenxing's memorial had already spread, and everyone in the court and the country knew about it. The prime minister was thinking of giving up his position and letting him down, which would be a betrayal of his reputation as a filial son.

After all, Huang Qing was one of the Nine Ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Wherever he went, no one dared to criticize him to his face. But as soon as he passed by him, voices of discussion arose behind him, and the voices were so loud, as if they were afraid that he couldn't hear them.

Huang Qing did not turn his head, as that would make him and his master even more embarrassed. Unconsciously, his hands clenched in his sleeves, his nails digging into the flesh, and blood dripping through the fingers.

There is only one name for this heart full of hatred, and that is "Yu Shenxing".

But not long after, Huang Qing heard the shocking news that Yu Shenxing had resigned from his post and left the capital alone.

In the Censorate, only the Left Censor-in-Chief was one of the Nine Ministers, but the Right Censor-in-Chief was only one step away. Even if one did nothing, after enduring for a few years or even more than ten years, there would always be a chance for one to become one of the Nine Ministers.

Yu Shenxing was very young, younger than his teacher, or even younger than himself, so he could have waited. However, his integrity made him impeach his teacher, and his reputation in the officialdom was ruined.

Therefore, Yu Shenxing did not stay in the court or the capital any longer. He left quietly without taking anything with him.

Huang Qing couldn't help but recall the day when Yu Shenxing came to Beijing and the scene when his mentor sent him to meet Yu Shenxing. There was a not-so-luxurious sedan chair and a horse-drawn carriage, and besides Yu Shenxing, there was only an old servant driving the carriage.

With the support of his mentor, Yu Shenxing made continuous progress in his career. However, the old servant who drove the coach fell ill and died. Yu Shenxing asked someone to send him back to his hometown in Dong'a, Shandong.

We came in pairs and left alone.

I have already repaid my teacher’s kindness.

Huang Qing's mind was in a mess and he walked forward unconsciously.

The Prime Minister, who lost his father, had not passed away yet, but the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate passed away first. This was almost a tsunami to the officialdom, which had been peaceful for many days.

Gao Gong certainly would not miss this opportunity. He joined forces with the "high-ranking" officials under his command to write a joint memorial impeaching Zhang Juzheng, which was submitted to the Yuxi Palace early on, and the contents of the memorial were made public.

There are five charges.

1. The number of talented people recruited has not yet increased.

Gao Gong said frankly: "In the previous dynasty, each county had dozens of people admitted to school, and the number of people appointed to official posts was limited to 16 or 17 people per county, which blocked the way for the promotion of talents.

A man of great talent cannot be supported by clothes and hats; an unrestrained talent will surely show off his talent. Until now, the voices of resentment have spread all over the world. What kind of harm will this leave behind? "

This previous dynasty was not the Zhengde Dynasty, nor the Yuan Dynasty, but an educational program of the previous imperial court. The imperial examinations were stopped, but the selection of talents still had to continue, and the recommendation system was temporarily restored.

But at that time, Zhang Juzheng was in the midst of an intense campaign against Gao Zheng, and no one who was not a member of Zhang's family would be accepted.

As a result, there were dozens of students enrolled in each county, but afterward the average number of students who stayed on campus was less than 20 per county.

It only says that Zhang Juzheng did not promote many talented people, but does not say that Zhang Juzheng formed a faction to attack dissidents. This is not because Gao Gong was kind, but because the great Ming Dynasty was a peaceful and prosperous era without people engaging in factional struggles.

They are all good subjects of His Majesty.

Second, the sentencing of prisoners is too indiscriminate.

"In the past, there was no fixed number of prisoners to be sentenced. When Ju Zheng was appointed, he limited the number of prisoners to be sentenced in each province, and some innocent people were abused. Although there were some who reformed themselves, there was no way for them to do so."

The killings in the two capitals and thirteen provinces last year were too many and too widespread, involving officials and civilians. In the vast Ming Dynasty, with hundreds of millions of citizens, one in ten was killed.

In order to reduce the karma of killing, Zhang Juzheng submitted a petition on the day of the emperor's wedding last year, hoping to grant amnesty to the entire country, but it was not approved. However, Zhang Juzheng was granted permission to set a number of people to be executed immediately or their entire families to be exterminated in each province. Once the number of executions was reached in a year, they would have to wait until the next year to kill again.

In places like Zhejiang, the quota has been reached before the New Year is over. Now the prisons are full of people waiting to be executed. Even if the number of death row prisoners is not increased this year, they will not be able to be killed next year or the year after.

But in Gao Gong's eyes, if these death row prisoners were not executed for one day, the court would have to spend one more day on their detention and food expenses. Why not do anything else with the money? Why keep a group of "dead people"?
3. The channels for communication are not open.

"In the prosperous times of ancient times, the common people, the humble scholars, the farmers, the merchants, and the businessmen were all able to exert their utmost efforts. In the right positions, there were indeed high officials who dared not speak out because of their salary, and low officials who dared not speak out because of fear of punishment. But there have never been those who would break the embroidered fence in the red court and show their loyalty to the jade throne."

This is nothing new, it's a cliché.

To put it bluntly, His Majesty only summons the Chief Minister of the Cabinet to report on state affairs in Yuxi Palace every day, and does not summon other cabinet ministers or officials.

This was the case in Yan Song's cabinet. In fact, it could not be blamed on Zhang Juzheng, but it was a crime anyway, so it was put to Zhang Juzheng first.

But the words were obviously carefully considered and not so harsh. This charge was more like a privilege granted by the emperor to the chief minister of the cabinet. Zhang Juzheng was about to leave the capital, and the position of prime minister was within reach. Gao Gong did not want this privilege to disappear.

Yan Song blocked the way of speech, and Zhang Juzheng blocked it. After Zhang Juzheng blocked Gao Gong, he still wanted to block it. All officials suffer, and I will take the blame.

4. The people’s grievances have not been fully addressed.

"Henan reported that the Yellow River has flooded and drowned countless fish. I am afraid that even though I have the virtue of a strong city, many people have been swept away into ditches and ravines, carrying their wives and children and scattering to all directions."

This is pure false accusation.

The flooding of the Yellow River is not a matter of one day or one night. This continuous river floods every year.

Moreover, the governor of Henan also reported the cause of the flood. Some poor people were planting rice seedlings along the banks of the Yellow River. The autumn harvest was about to come, and in order to guard the ripening crops, those people built temporary houses on the bank of the Yellow River.

One night, the soil on the bank of the Yellow River collapsed due to erosion and scouring by the surging river water, eventually causing the grain fields planted along the river to sink into the river. The houses were no exception, and the people who were sleeping and guarding the fields also fell into the river and disappeared without a trace.

This was a tragedy, and Gao Gong used it to accuse the country's pillar of immorality. Although it was far-fetched, it was reasonable.

After all, the fifth charge against Gao Gong was "seizing love and being unfilial."

Gao Gong simply quoted the original memorial of Yu Shenxing, who had resigned from office. There was probably no memorial in the world more damaging to Zhang Juzheng than this one.

Huang Qing walked to the front of Yuxi Palace, looked at the plaque, and sighed.

The teacher's position is unstable!

(End of this chapter)