Jiajing was seated in a side hall, the hastily erected Eight Trigrams platform offering little comfort. The loud shouts of Yan Shifan had long since worn his patience thin.
Forced into this corner by circumstances, it was a situation most people would find unfathomable. But Jiajing understood it best: the framework dictated that he could only act this way.
To reform using vermilion ink was to hide behind the scenes, deliberately obscuring roles and relationships. This way, the effects would be better. Once clarified, court officials would resist in various ways. Zhu Mo’s role had to be both an extension of the emperor and leave no trace of being so. If any hint of it fell into Yan Song’s grasp, he would lead the court officials in claiming the emperor’s lack of virtue, stirring up public outcry and returning the situation to that of Yang Tinghe’s forced abdication. What he had strived his entire life to avoid was this kind of direct confrontation between the emperor and his officials.
However, this approach also had its weaknesses, leading to situations like the current one.
Yan Song was essentially forcing his will, even attempting to dominate the court. The reason he dared to act this way was that all officials and gentry opposed the reforms. While Zhu Mo nominally carried the banner of reform, everyone knew that it was Jiajing who supported it from behind the scenes. Yan Song, by colluding with external forces and creating a crisis, naturally aimed to force Jiajing to abandon the reforms and abandon Zhu Mo.
Though Yan Song’s thinking was sound and he had exerted all his strength, in any contest, the final outcome depended on the battlefield. Many things, especially military affairs, did not hinge on a comparison of strength. If it truly did, then tribute would have to be paid to Anda right now.
True strength lay in wisdom and will, not in cold, hard numbers. Whether eighty thousand or a hundred thousand, greater numbers also carried greater weaknesses. On the battlefield, no one could clearly define the key to victory or defeat. Furthermore, Jiajing had dealt with Anda for half his life, and the conflicts among the Tatar tribes were no less than those within the Ming Dynasty. These were the true comparisons of strength.
Several days prior, he had also sent secret edicts to Guo Gan, the Governor-General of the Three Borders, and Yang Bo, the Governor-General of Jiliao. Troops were being secretly mobilized, and the defenses of the capital were no longer a significant concern; they could at least hold out for a while. As for Xuanda, Guo Gan had already secretly dispatched reinforcements, so the situation had not completely collapsed. Moreover, with one imperial edict from him, the Wei Army would undoubtedly fight to the death, and coupled with a group of formidable generals, Zhu Mo might not necessarily suffer a crushing defeat.
Besides,
Jiajing had always felt that if Zhu Mo intended to seek peace with the barbarians, then a major battle might not truly occur.
And since ancient times, seeking peace with the barbarians and enacting reforms had been complementary. It was not strange for Zhu Mo to think this way. What he was curious about was whether Zhu Mo had any way to make Anda agree to peace.
As for the Yan family, their fate was sealed. If they thought they had controlled the court with this move, it was sheer arrogance. At least, there were still several forces that did not support the Yan family.
For instance, Zhang Juzheng had not come at all. Yan Shifan would undoubtedly pressure him relentlessly, but this Zhang Taiyue had firmly decided not to get involved, indicating a neutral stance. Then there was Xu Jie. The words spoken by the Prince of Yu were definitely said by Xu Jie, which also suggested Xu Jie's neutrality. With Xu Jie in this position, Li Chunfang naturally followed suit.
The most unexpected was Gao Gong. He had actually exposed the Yan family’s intentions publicly. This was another form of neutrality, and a very strong one at that, indicating he was gaining prestige and building momentum for the future. Gao Gong, always outwardly rough but inwardly meticulous, was not unexpected in his cleverness, but his ambition was indeed considerable. Everyone said Zhang Juzheng was ambitious, but how could Gao Gong’s ambition be small?
The “money, troops, and people” proposed by Yan Song and Yan Shifan were essential for dominating the court. Whoever controlled these three aspects controlled the court, and by controlling the court, controlled the empire. But was the court’s administration truly this simple? Was he, Jiajing, after nearly forty years as emperor, so easy to deal with?
He sat for a long time, his thoughts as clear as a bright mirror.
At this moment,
He saw that Yan Shifan and Gao Gong had exposed each other’s intentions, and the Prince of Yu had directly named Zhu Mo. He could no longer delay. Any further delay would inevitably lead to discussions about Zhu Mo’s reforms, immediately causing an uproar and endless strife.
He immediately picked up his whisk and slowly walked towards the main hall.
...
Many of the officials had never been to the Yuxi Palace. Seeing Jiajing indeed dressed in his ceremonial robes, holding his whisk, with his eyebrows high and his eyes bright, walking slowly, he truly resembled an enlightened cultivator. They couldn't help but gasp in awe.
Jiajing walked to the side of the dragon throne but did not sit. He quietly gazed at the court officials, waiting until the entire hall had fallen into near-absolute silence.
Then, he opened his mouth and said:
“All conditioned phenomena,
Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow;
Like dew, and like lightning;
Thus should they be contemplated.”
After reciting, he looked at Gao Gong, then at Yan Shifan, and then at Yan Song, continuing:
“Obstacles! All conditioned phenomena are obstacles…”
“What is meant by ‘conditioned’? Schemes, stratagems, using borrowed power, thinking oneself clever… these are conditioned phenomena, and thus they are all obstacles…”
As he spoke these words, he looked towards the sky, but then turned his head to look at Yan Song and said:
“Yan Song, Anda has eighty thousand men under arms, yet lingers at the border, drawing his bow but not releasing the arrow. Is this an obstacle? What kind of obstacle is it?”
Yan Song was instantly shocked; he hadn’t expected the emperor to confront him so directly today.
But with the advantage in hand for today’s situation, Yan Song naturally felt no fear. And the best way to deal with the emperor’s penchant for veiled words was to refuse to answer.
Yan Song merely smiled and remained silent.
Jiajing, however, paid him no mind. He walked to Yan Shifan and said:
“Yan Shifan, you are the most intelligent. I wish to test you. Seeing mountains not as mountains, seeing water not as water—what realm is this?”
This question was unrelated to the current situation, and Yan Shifan did not have Yan Song’s status. Furthermore, Jiajing had explicitly stated he wanted to test him, so Yan Shifan could not refuse and could only reply:
“Your Majesty, I have always been undisciplined and do not understand such matters. Your Majesty truly puts me in a difficult position.”
Jiajing scoffed and continued to ask:
“Then let me ask you again: money is money, troops are troops, people are people… the Nine Borders are the Nine Borders, the interior is the interior… the ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister… Is this right or wrong?”
This?
A ripple went through the crowd.
The officials were instantly stunned.
This emperor is simply too formidable!
While some minor officials were merely bewildered by his profound words, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and the few others were filled with awe.
These words had struck at the very hearts of the Yan father and son!
The father and son had debated for a long time. Ostensibly discussing the Nine Borders, the interior, and money, troops, and people, they had, in fact, implicitly linked Zhu Mo and the reforms, thereby gaining an unassailable authority. With Jiajing’s reprimand and admonition, he had severed this subtle implication.
Moreover, Jiajing directly spoke of “ruler and minister,” leaving only a thin veil before accusing the Yan father and son of creating a situation where the ruler was not a ruler and the minister was not a minister.
Yan Song let out a bitter smile.
This emperor, having known him for twenty years, was indeed extraordinarily wise. This exchange was truly unprecedented since he had entered the cabinet.
But at the same time, he thought: So what if they are obstacles? Do these obstacles lack power? Talk is talk, but can you truly break these obstacles?