Chapter 577 Whose World
A person's life cannot be smooth sailing. Even someone as powerful as the First Emperor had times when he was suppressed.
If Xu Jie's life can be divided into three parts, the first part is his high spirits and rapid progress in the imperial examinations. The second part is the blow he suffered in the officialdom.
After a young official encounters a setback, most people will never recover. But Xu Jie is different...
After being beaten, Xu Jie quickly reflected on his mistakes and became more tolerant. He worked diligently as an official in the local government and soon stood out.
The third part was his return to Beijing. At that time, there was a vacancy in the position of Crown Prince Zhu Zaigang, and Xu Jie successfully entered the Eastern Palace. Just when he was ready to make great plans, his mother passed away.
If it were someone else, he would have to start all over again after three years of mourning. But at this moment, Xu Jie was no longer an ordinary person. Not only did he have his own network of connections, but his reputation also rose to a new level after the three years of mourning.
The third part is to be in charge of the Hanlin Academy.
This can be regarded as an important node in Xu Jie's official career, and from then on, he became one of the important officials.
The days that followed were uneventful, as Xu Jie patiently waited for his chance. While recuperating in the Hanlin Academy, he used his ability to write Qingci to get closer to Emperor Jiajing.
Xu Jie knew very well that the Yan Party was a wall put up by Emperor Jiajing to stand between himself and his ministers, but this wall was getting higher and higher, and there had to be a person or a group to check and balance it.
Who else would I be?
Xu Jie waited patiently for his opportunity.
Finally, the opportunity came and he entered the Zhilu and became the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.
However, the suppression from Yan Song and his son was everywhere, turning him into a hollow prime minister who could not get involved in state affairs but had a lot of idle matters to deal with.
Yan Song was also suppressed by Xia Yan in the same way in the past. His response was to pretend to be a grandson until the opportunity came. Then he joined forces with Lu Bing and others to deal a fatal blow to Xia Yan.
Yan Song and his son were very proud at this moment. They felt that they had great power in their hands and Xu Jie was just a minor nuisance.
"Is it a case of scabies?"
In the evening, Xu Jie took a slow walk in his own yard to help digest his food.
There are trees in the yard with towering crowns, which makes it a great place to cool off in the summer.
Xu Jie glanced at the tree, and the family member behind him said, "Master, someone is visiting."
The person who came turned out to be Han Yu.
In the study, the two sat down opposite each other.
"In those days, Lord Xu argued with Zhang Cong, the favorite minister of Your Majesty, for the reputation of the late sage. His courage is still widely known among scholars today, inspiring the younger generation."
Han Yu spoke slowly and solemnly, "Since the abolition of all schools of thought and the promotion of Confucianism, it was not until the early Song Dynasty that Confucianism became the study of statecraft. Sharing the world with the literati is an unspoken agreement between the emperors of all dynasties and Confucianism."
Xu Jie was silent.
"Today, the Mohist School has emerged. The Mohist School is nothing but a clown. However, Your Majesty has used this to stir up trouble and is trying to suppress my Confucianism."
Han Yu looked at Xu Jie, "If it was just the Mohist school, my Confucian school would be able to crush it into dust with just one slap. But Your Majesty is looming behind us."
"What are you worried about?" Xu Jie spoke in a deep voice.
"What we are worried about is that the scene from that year will happen again." Han Yu's eyes were fierce.
"Respecting Confucianism alone, should it be replaced by respecting Mohism alone?"
"Yes." Han Yu nodded. "Since the Great Ceremony Controversy, Your Majesty has actually become a mortal enemy of our Confucianism. I think the Lord knows your Majesty's character very well. Since he is a mortal enemy, then we should get rid of him."
Xu Jie said: "Before Jiang Qingzhi entered the capital, the two sides formed a balance of power and the situation was stable. After Jiang Qingzhi entered the capital, the situation suddenly changed. Now your majesty has walked out of the West Garden. Are you... panicking?"
"Aren't you panicking, Lord?" Han Yu, who was free from official duties, looked at Xu Jie calmly, "Your Majesty walked out of the West Garden and took charge of the government himself. Jiang Qingzhi and Wang Yiqi and others are stirring up trouble in the court. If the two join forces, Lord, is there still a place for our Confucianism?
Besides, don't forget, it only took Jiang Qingzhi two years to go from being alone to becoming a fully-fledged leader. Ten years later, will there still be a place for you in the Political Affairs Hall?"
Han Yu saw Xu Jie's still gentle smile and laughed in his heart, "Your Excellency can endure it, but Jiang Qingzhi has taken away your disciples twice. How long are you prepared to endure this great humiliation?"
"You say this... because you are not sure about tomorrow's battle." Xu Jie said calmly.
"No, we have confidence." Han Yu smiled and said, "Jiang Qingzhi said it is beneficial to the country and the people, but what is beneficial to the country and the people? Who can define it?"
He lowered his voice, "Whoever has the loudest voice gets to define it!"
Xu Jie narrowed his eyes, "I know."
Han Yu stood up and said, "In that case, we'll meet at the Tiger Guards' Left Guards' training ground tomorrow."
Xu Jie watched Han Yu go out, and not long after, the old housekeeper who sent Han Yu back came back.
"Master, this person wants you to take sides! But as for His Majesty...if he offends His Majesty..." The old butler is an elder of the Xu family and has a say in Xu Jie.
Xu Jie said: "The emperor needs checks and balances, and this is my role in the Zhilu. As for your majesty, except for those dictators in the past thousand years, the emperors have a tacit understanding with their ministers and scholars. The scholars assist the emperor, and the emperor releases power..."
He stood up and walked out of the study. "Even if the emperor hates his ministers to the core, with the support of the scholar-officials, the emperor can only compromise. Otherwise, according to the temperament of the current emperor, the court would probably be mostly empty at this moment."
"Isn't this making the emperor bow his head?"
"This is not bowing, but compromise." Xu Jie's eyes were shining, "The emperor bowed his head... Yang Tinghe wanted the emperor to bow his head at the beginning, but unfortunately..."
Unfortunately, he met the stubborn Emperor Jiajing.
I would rather smash these jars and pots, and make enemies with all the scholars and officials in the world, than bow my head.
"What if the emperor refuses to compromise?" The old butler was worried, always feeling that if Xu Jie agreed to Han Yu, he would offend Emperor Jiajing.
"From the capital to the local areas, from the prime minister to the minor officials, who is not a scholar-official?" Xu Jie walked under the big tree with a smile and looked up at the treetops.
"Back then, the Master led his disciples to travel around the world and planted the sapling of Confucianism. Many years later, it has grown into a towering tree. Even Emperor Taizu Gao could do nothing about it, let alone Your Majesty now."
Xu Jie reached out and patted the tree trunk. The old butler sighed, "Forgive me for being blunt, but it's best for you to remain patient. Sit back and watch the battle between Confucianism and Mohism, and reap the benefits."
"I want to sit back and watch the battle between Confucianism and Mohism."
Xu Jie smiled gently, "Do you know what a great vengeance is? Zhou Xia turned to Jiang Qingzhi's school. How many people laughed at my incompetence. I endured it! But Zhang Juzheng, whom I favored, also became a disciple of Mohism...
The former is a slap in the face of me, and the latter... it is peeling off my skin.
People live by their face, trees live by their skin. How can I tolerate this any longer? "Xu Jie turned around, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, "I was waiting for Jiang Qing to come and apologize, but he ignored me. He tore my face like a piece of paper! And he tore it to pieces in public! How can I tolerate this any longer? "
The old butler gnashed his teeth and said, "That thief Jiang deserves to die!"
"He deserves to die. He thought he could be successful with the emperor's support. But he forgot whose world this is!"
Xu Jie looked up at the huge tree canopy.
"This is my Confucian world!"
……
Many people slept uneasily that night.
Some people even drank in brothels and prepared to stay up all night.
The same is true for Yang Zhiyuan.
The doctor said yesterday that he has basically recovered, except for the trauma on his forehead which will take some time to heal.
Yang Zhiyuan couldn't sit still, so he went to find Zhao Shi. The two of them conspired and then gathered dozens of scholars to gather in the brothel.
"Confucianism and Mohism cannot coexist. Jiang Qingzhi now has dozens of disciples in Xin'an Lane and more than a hundred disciples outside the city. These people are all seeds." Yang Zhiyuan had a cloth wrapped around his forehead and looked ferocious. "Tomorrow will be the day when the outcome of this battle will be decided. If he wins, Jiang Qingzhi will be infamous and become a rat crossing the street from now on, and he will not be able to gain a foothold in the court. Shouldn't we do something about this grand event?"
Dozens of scholars were extremely excited under the influence of alcohol and offered suggestions one after another.
"Go block Xin'an Lane."
"Let's not do anything, just block it."
"It's useless!"
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"..."
Everyone was arguing, and Yang Zhiyuan coughed and said, "The more than one hundred disciples outside the city can't read a single word. It will take time to teach them. But the dozens of disciples in Xin'an Lane are from my Confucian family and have a solid foundation. Everyone..."
Yang Zhiyuan looked at everyone, "If Jiang Qingzhi finds out tomorrow that something happened to his beloved, he will be uneasy before the battle."
"Wonderful!"
"Brother Yang, this plan is brilliant. If it can distract Jiang Qingzhi, it will be a great achievement for us!"
Yang Zhiyuan raised his glass, "Well, let's assign people later..."
"When do we start?" someone asked.
"Tomorrow, those disciples will go to the training ground to watch the battle. They must go out in the early morning. Let's stop them... Don't worry about retaliation. Tomorrow, Jiang will become a rat crossing the street. He will be busy with his own affairs, so how can he take care of those disciples?"
"it is good!"
Everyone was breathing heavily.
"All the expenses for tonight are mine. After a good meal and a good drink, I will get drunk among the flowers. In the early hours of the morning, I will draw my sword... This is a man's pleasure!"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone raised their glasses and drank until midnight, then each of them took a prostitute and went to their room.
Zhu Zhiyuan and Zhao Shi left last. He whispered, "No matter whether we win or lose, when the city gates open tomorrow, I will go out of the city and hide to wait for news. If Jiang fails, you can send someone out of the city to report the news, and I will go back in."
"Easy to say."
Zhu Zhiyuan hugged the prostitute into the room, pushed her down on the bed, and then pressed her down hard.
The two of them were being affectionate, and just when Zhu Zhiyuan was enjoying himself, he suddenly saw a hand passing over his shoulder. The bony hand slapped the forehead of the prostitute, who closed her eyes and pretended to be comfortable. The prostitute hiccuped and fainted.
Zhu Zhiyuan was shocked. The man behind him said in a sharp voice: "Since the day Xu Wei was injured, the uncle has had people keeping an eye on you! Today, it's time for you to leave!"
Jiang Qingzhi!
Just as Zhu Zhiyuan was about to scream, he felt someone patting his lower back.
Then something in my body kept pouring out.
Fu Cheng stepped back, looked at Zhu Zhiyuan who was trembling on the prostitute, and said coldly: "Goodbye!"
Zhu Zhiyuan's face flushed and he kept shaking...
Fucheng returned to the Bo Mansion.
In the early morning, when Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the bedroom, Fucheng was waiting outside.
"Yang Zhiyuan encouraged the scholars to intercept the Mohist disciples, but who knew that he would get a stroke while having sex with a prostitute..."
Jiang Qingzhi looked up at the remaining stars in the sky and asked, "How many people will be furious today?"
……
At the brothel, Zhao Shi and others were ready to go, but Yang Zhiyuan didn't come out. After waiting for a long time, they went to knock on the door.
"no one?"
"Knock again."
The knocking on the door became louder and louder, and the awakened guests started shouting and cursing.
There was a sudden noise inside.
Zhao Shi smiled and said, "Brother Zhu is so exhausted, it shows that you worked hard last night and died."
Suddenly, a prostitute's scream was heard from inside.
"Dead, dead!"
(End of this chapter)
