Zhang Juzheng, seeing their confusion, continued:
"Not 'Mo' reforms, or reforms without Zhu Mo, or rather, reforms that deny Zhu Mo while enacting them…"
His gaze was sharp and stern.
"Gentlemen, why does Yan Song hate Zhu Mo's reforms so vehemently? To the point of colluding with foreign enemies and fighting to the death? I have pondered this for a long time. The fundamental reason is that Zhu Mo's reforms inevitably shake the Sage's system. What is the Sage's system? The principle of male and female hierarchy, the order of noble and base, pure and impure, the division between officials and commoners, between urban and rural – these are immutable for eternity. Yet Zhu Mo's reforms, by necessity, shake this very foundation…
As Shu Ming and Zi Wei said earlier, his reforms excessively demean the gentry and officials, consistently favoring farmers and laborers. Although his methods are clever, in the end, they aim to destabilize the very basis of the Great Way. Imagine, if the common people become powerful, and the officials and gentry are suppressed, what kind of world would it be? Where would hierarchy lie? How would purity and impurity be distinguished? How would nobility and baseness be defined? Where would the gentry and scholars of the realm turn? If studying and passing imperial examinations does not grant nobility, then the Sage's system is bound to be shaken…
I, Zhang Juzheng, have always advocated for reform, but I have never intended to shake the Sage's system! Suppressing powerful families, yes; equal land distribution, yes; even ruling with strict laws, yes; but inverting nobility and baseness is impermissible, disturbing the hierarchy of the four classes is impermissible, and abandoning the Sage's system is impermissible!"
Clap, clap, clap.
The crowd applauded in unison.
"Your Excellency speaks the truth!"
"The continuity of the Sages must not be broken!"
"There is a difference between noble and base, it is the principle of the Great Way! How can it be thrown into chaos?"
"Qin law is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Zhu Mo is Qin Mo, that statement was originally correct!"
"…"
Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and continued:
"For now, we cannot side with the Yan faction. Therefore, I have sent a letter to Yan Shifan informing him that I will not attend the imperial court meeting in the capital, and have sternly refused. Why? Because this court session will inevitably lead to the condemnation of Zhu Mo!
Gentlemen, think about it. What is Yan Song's grand scheme for? It is to create a situation of decisive battle between the Tatars and the Great Ming, similar to Emperor Wu of Han, where salt and iron were monopolized and conscription was universal, all for the sake of resisting the Tatars. Yan Song's leadership in this matter will be unstoppable, and the Yan faction's power will reach its zenith. At this time, Yan Shifan incites the gentry, academies, and scholars throughout the realm to attack, and the censors and officials will repeatedly impeach Zhu Mo. Zhu Mo's reforms will inevitably be condemned by the court as a 'Qin law' aberration, followers of Wei Yang!
The Emperor, considering the Fort of Tumu and the Incident of Gengxu, can only sacrifice Zhu Mo to maintain overall stability. At this juncture, our presence or absence makes little difference. Why should we get involved? Moreover, various rumors and indications show that the Emperor greatly favors Zhu Mo. While the Emperor may be compelled by circumstances, he will surely resent Yan Song for openly using this opportunity to eliminate him. Why should we add fuel to the fire?
Furthermore, Zhu Mo has deeply won the hearts of the common people. While we can distance ourselves from him, we absolutely cannot join in the clamor to condemn him, otherwise the common people will despise us. Losing popular support means losing everything.
In addition, with the Yan faction being so powerful, how can the Emperor remain indifferent? If we continue to insist on opposing Yan and advocating for reform at this moment, the Emperor will rely on us for balance. This seemingly futile act is in reality a strategy of overcoming the strong with the weak, which will yield remarkable results.
Why? Firstly, the people, in their sympathy for Zhu Mo's tragic death, will view us as Zhu Mo's friends and empathize with us – this is popular support we can utilize. Secondly, Yan Song's collusion with Anda will surely be met with widespread criticism and murmuring throughout the realm; righteousness has been lost, and when things reach their extreme, they will turn. The day Zhu Mo meets his tragic end will be the beginning of the Yan family's downfall, this is the principle of things. Thirdly, we will first distance ourselves from Zhu Mo and deny his radical policies, reiterating that our reforms do not shake the Sage's system, then the gentry of the realm will not oppose us.
Thus, the collective strength of the realm will be with us. With a little luck, overthrowing Yan will be imminent, and we will then be able to rebuild the country, recreate the Sage's system, and usher in an era of peace. This is what is meant by 'not Mo' reforms."
Hiss!
Hiss!
The crowd listened, captivated, feeling that Zhang Juzheng was indeed miraculous, his thinking so clear and unique, rarely seen in the world.
Shen Shixing pondered for a moment and said,
"Your Excellency, your student understands. So, condemning Mo means drawing a clear line, and adhering to the Sage's system as unchangeable… Does Your Excellency mean we should express this publicly?"
Upon hearing this, the others shared the same thought and looked enviously at Zhang Juzheng.
Zhang Juzheng said,
"Precisely. However, this matter must be handled with discretion. The words should be neither too many nor too few. I have thought of a plan. Do you think it is feasible?
Ru Mo and Zi Wei, you are both learned and renowned. You can lecture at major academies in Jiangnan. Say nothing else, only speak of the Sage's system. Master Gui Lao, you have many students. Can you gather them for a grand lecture? Again, only speak of the Sage's system, mention nothing else, answer nothing else.
Shu Ming, Si Ming, and Ti Gan, you only need to do one thing with me with great fanfare. If we accomplish these two things, then we will have passed this hurdle."
Oh?
Pan Sheng, who had been mostly silent all evening, could not help but ask, "What is this matter that Your Excellency refers to?"
Zhang Juzheng's heart was clear as a mirror, and he smiled.
"Heh heh, did I not show you Zhu Mo's letter earlier? He asked me, as a friend, to test his new salt fields… Why shouldn't we do it?"
Right!
Xu Xuemo clapped his hands in fear and blurted out, "Not only should we do it, but we should do it with great fanfare, and state that it is Zhu Mo's idea, so that the people of Jiangnan and the entire realm can clearly see that we are genuinely reforming! Moreover, we are only doing practical matters and will never violate the Sage's Way…"
Hahaha,
The crowd erupted in laughter.
…
The capital city, with dense彤云 (tóngyún - dark clouds).
Prince Yu's Mansion.
Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Tan Lun, and Li Chunfang were all seated. They had been discussing the withdrawal of troops from Xuan and Da, the outer defenses, and the imperial court for some time. Although their tone remained gentle, an undercurrent of unease permeated the atmosphere.
The myriad important matters in Xuan, Da, and Jiangnan had suddenly reached a turning point. As everyone recalled, the situation had shifted dramatically, as unpredictable as wind and clouds.
At this moment, Zhu Mo was on the verge of failure, and his death seemed certain. So, what would happen next? How should this game be played?
Xu Jie, of course, had fully grasped the situation. He knew that the grand imperial court session that Yan Song was about to convene would be the greatest turning point in the Great Ming's two hundred years. The Yan faction's power would reach its peak, and the space for the Qing Liu to survive would be pushed to the brink.
However, Xu Jie was always best at defensive counterattacks. He knew that the primary task at hand was to survive. Only by surviving could there be a tomorrow. And to survive, the only shield was Prince Yu. Thus, he cleared his throat and said,
"Your Highness, everyone has spoken frankly just now. The current situation is as it is. The court can only shift all its focus to resisting the Tatars. Your Highness, as the Crown Prince and the Emperor's only son, must wholeheartedly consider the Emperor's safety… Therefore, the withdrawal of the outer defense guards to protect the capital is correct. Others may criticize, but Your Highness cannot accuse Grand Tutor Yan…"
Mm-hmm,
Prince Yu naturally understood this.
A few days prior, he had received a secret report from Xu Jie stating that the outer defense guards were being withdrawn and the Anda Khan's camp was approaching Datong. He had been quite pleased, thinking that Zhu Mo was likely doomed this time, and even if he wanted to rescue him, it would be too late.
However, what worried him was that with Zhu Mo's death, the Yan family would become unprecedentedly powerful. As the leader of the Qing Liu, he had always been an unseen force behind the opposition to Yan. Although he had been closer to Yan Shifan in recent months, that was due to special circumstances. Now, with Zhu Mo's fall, both sides were back to their original positions, but the disparity in strength was even more unfavorable to him.
As the Crown Prince, his top priority would always be to stand with the Emperor. But facing this major event, he had thought for a long time and could not figure out how to position himself this time.
"Xu Jie says we cannot oppose Yan, and that is correct. But how can we avoid offending Yan Song while standing with the Emperor?"