Xu Jie breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong with delight. The three nodded in unison.
Xu Jie cleared his throat and continued in a more sonorous tone:
"Descending from the highest heavens to accept Heaven's mandate, how can this heart bear it?
Ruling the Four Seas with sorrow for all living beings, how can this heart not be wounded!"
"Qing…"
"Qing…"
"Qing…"
"Qing…"
"…"
"Qing…"
Nine times!
Nine consecutive rings.
This had broken all historical records.
Yan Song's Qingci, written when he was sixty, only achieved seven rings.
The faces of the pure officials immediately lit up with triumph, while Yan Song, Yan Shifan, Yan Maoqing, and others fell into despair. They had intended to use this as an opportunity to make a spectacle of the pure faction's embarrassment, hoping to impeach them and ideally have Gao Gong or Zhang Juzheng expelled from the Grand Secretariat. Now, the stone they had thrown had landed squarely on their own feet.
Next,
Xu Jie recited the concluding poem:
"Your humble servant, deeply moved by Your Majesty's grace, offers this verse:
From the highest altar, footsteps ascend with ethereal sounds,
Wishing the nation auspiciousness with sincere devotion.
On that day, pleas were made within the Golden Palace,
Today, fragrant mists burn in the jade furnace.
The imperial realm is strengthened, mountains and rivers grand,
The imperial way flourishes, sun and moon shine bright.
Myriad people gaze upon the era of Yao and Shun,
The year is abundant, bringing joy and lasting peace."
As the lingering echo of the final word "ping" faded, everyone in the Yuxi Palace felt utterly disheartened. This Qingci had even achieved classic status in its conclusion.
Yan Shifan, a connoisseur, understood immediately upon hearing it. The first character of each line in this final poem, when strung together, formed a sentence—
"Shang, Zhu, Dang, Jin, Huang, Di, Wan, Sui!"
(Ascend, Pray, For, The, Emperor, Ten, Thousand, Years!)
This,
This was sheer genius!
Yan Shifan first felt as though he had been fiercely kicked, then experienced a sensation of being ground into the dirt. Yan Song, however, was more seasoned. What truly alarmed him were the first two lines—
"Descending from the highest heavens to accept Heaven's mandate, how can this heart bear it?
Ruling the Four Seas with sorrow for all living beings, how can this heart not be wounded!"
These two lines were undoubtedly the trump cards.
Based on his years of experience, he knew these were the two lines that the Emperor would most favor, without question. With these lines alone, even a commoner could immediately ascend to the court.
More terrifyingly, would these two lines awaken the Emperor to the plight of the common people? If so, an unavoidable confrontation might soon be upon them…
…
At this moment, the Jiajing Emperor had not yet recovered his composure.
"Descending from the highest heavens to accept Heaven's mandate, how can this heart bear it?
Ruling the Four Seas with sorrow for all living beings, how can this heart not be wounded!"
These two lines struck directly at the core of his imperial sentiments, expressing a sentiment that the Yan family father and son would never utter: the suffering of the common people! And the foundation of an emperor lay in his people.
In recent years, the common people had endured immense hardship. Although Emperor Jiajing could control corrupt officials and stabilize the gradually declining dynasty, he lacked the power to alleviate the suffering of his people.
Forty years ago, he had inherited a mess.
At that time, the court was in chaos, and Yang Tinghe and his faction had openly attempted to force his abdication. After more than a decade of fierce struggle, the situation had finally stabilized. It wasn't that he didn't want to do anything for the people, but every time he sought to reform the country, he was faced with internal strife, external threats, natural disasters, and man-made calamities…
The Japanese pirates and the Tatars, these two persistent scourges, had clung to him like maggots on a bone, preventing him from ever having the opportunity to act. Now, as he was nearing the end of his strength, was there still a chance to revive the Great Ming? Would the Ming dynasty perish like him, depleted of its vital energy?
A series of deep thoughts swirled in his mind. He felt moments of joy and despair, his breath rising and falling, unable to find calm.
…
Yan Song, being a man of great foresight, quickly regained his composure—
This Qingci was certainly not written by those pure officials, nor by the scholars in the Hanlin Academy. It must be someone else, someone else entirely! If it was discovered that it wasn't written by someone from the Hanlin Academy, wouldn't that be considered deceiving the Emperor?
With this thought, he quietly tugged his son Yan Shifan's sleeve and whispered, "Ask them who wrote this Qingci…"
"Right! Alas!"
Yan Shifan suddenly slapped his forehead. How could he not have realized? This was a crime of deceiving the Emperor! He immediately said loudly,
"Eunuch Lü! And Grand Secretary Xu, may I ask who wrote this Qingci? Which great talent from the Hanlin Academy is responsible? With such talent, how can the Ministry of Personnel not recommend him!"
His words immediately reminded Emperor Jiajing.
"Indeed, who wrote this? Do those scholars in the Hanlin Academy have such ability? Even Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng lack such celestial grace…?"
How could Lü Fang not understand Emperor Jiajing's thoughts? He immediately pressed further, "Yes, Grand Secretary Xu, whose hand in the Hanlin Academy did this Qingci emerge from?"
…
Xu Jie instantly uttered a silent "Too late."
This Qingci was originally meant as a contingency. He had considered the possibility of the Yan faction's slander, but there hadn't been enough time! They hadn't yet discovered who wrote it. How could he answer this? It could very well be a crime of deceiving the Emperor! Despite his vast experience, Xu Jie was momentarily speechless.
However, Zhang Juzheng, living up to his reputation as a prodigy, quickly turned his mind and came up with a perfect explanation. With a slight smile, he said loudly,
"Reporting to Eunuch Lü, Grand Secretary Yan, and Junior Grand Secretary Yan, this Qingci indeed came from the hand of a member of the Hanlin Academy… This person is a learned scholar who has always disliked fame and fortune. I encountered him by chance in the common populace several months ago and hired him as a Hanlin Attendant…"
Oh, so that's how it is.
So it was a Hanlin Attendant…
At that time, to compile various books, the Hanlin Academy often hired learned individuals from the common populace. In modern terms, they were without official posts but received salaries from the Hanlin Academy, akin to contract workers. Such individuals held no real standing within the system. Who would bother to know their names or backgrounds? The dignitaries present in the Yuxi Palace understood this implicitly.
It was natural for Grand Secretary Zhang to offer someone a meal and not recall their name… If the Emperor hadn't ordered everyone in the Hanlin Academy to submit Qingci this time, who would have even recognized such a person…
At this point, the officials collectively breathed a sigh of relief and began chattering amongst themselves.
Emperor Jiajing, however, revealed a sharp glint in his eyes—
"The person who wrote this Qingci is absolutely no ordinary mortal…"