Chapter 29: I Have a Method

The words were spoken.

Zhang Juzheng knelt prostrate on the ground, holding his breath, awaiting the judgment that would define his future. Silence filled the hall. Time slipped away, bit by bit.

He did not know how much time had passed. Suddenly, he saw a hand reach out before him; there was a fresh, thin callus on the web of the thumb. Then, this hand—the one with the new callus—gripped his arm.

"Sir, are you not afraid that I might spread what you have just said?"

Zhu Zaiji pulled Zhang Juzheng to his feet. He looked at the man with a gaze full of curiosity, his eyes flickering with intensity.

Zhang Juzheng stepped back, smoothed his robes, and bowed deeply before meeting the Crown Prince's gaze. "To answer Your Highness: once I step out of this door today, I shall never acknowledge a single word of what I have said."

He felt a mix of surprise and curiosity in his heart. Almost immediately, he smiled and changed his tone. "Besides, my words regarding the ruin of the nation were exactly what Your Highness wished to hear from my lips."

The smile on Zhu Zaiji’s face froze for a moment, then he waved his hand and returned to his seat. He looked at Zhang Juzheng once more, a silent sigh of admiration forming in his heart.

Truly, a clever man.

While age might limit one's perspective and political experience, it did not limit one's wisdom. He asked casually, "Since you say so, if we follow your logic, if our Great Ming does not reform now, why would it fall within three generations?"

Seeing the Crown Prince revert to his previous manner of address, Zhang Juzheng let out a long, relieved breath. Once relaxed, he spoke with greater composure.

"The cause lies in the Imperial Clan. Although the court currently maintains precautions and has reduced their stipends and grain allowances, the princely estates remain largely unaffected. They exploit the lesser branches of their families and annex the civilian lands surrounding their fiefs. In the long run, one estate might occupy tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares."

"The cause also lies in the administration. While Your Majesty sits in the Western Park, overseeing the court, the civil and military officials often group themselves by their hometowns, the year they passed their examinations, or their specific cohorts. They form factions, engage in mutual attacks, and ruthlessly eliminate dissenters. If the center is like this, the provinces are even worse. Eventually, the court and the regions will be held captive by a few private factions. Those who are not of the party will not reach high office; those not related to the party will not gain profit. When matters arise in the court, they will prioritize factional interests first, then national interests, and only then the interests of the people."

"I dare to speak of the nation's fall because of the state of finance, taxation, and military preparedness. The Imperial Clan, officials, scholars, and local gentry compete to annex land, while the commoners surrender their property to the powerful to avoid taxes. The salt administration is ruined, festering for decades; corruption in the canal transport system feeds millions of laborers; and the maritime ban is in chaos—the central government gains no benefit from the sea, while the southeastern provinces scramble to smuggle. I fear that only one or two tenths of the annual wealth of our dynasty actually reaches the state treasury or the inner palace, while the vast majority flows into private hands."

Once the conversation turned to the survival of the state, Zhang Juzheng seemed like a different man. He spoke with fervor and passion, forcefully detailing the ills of the time.

"Tax revenue is short, yet the requests from the Nine Frontiers grow more frequent. At the beginning of the dynasty, the court only needed to spend hundreds of thousands of taels on the Nine Frontiers; now, it requires two or three million. I have heard that recently, the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers, Weng Wanda, requested an additional allocation of four hundred and thirty thousand taels. I believe such instances will only increase. Three generations from now, I fear the Nine Frontiers will consume nearly ten million taels annually, and it is uncertain whether that will be enough to keep the enemy at bay."

Zhang Juzheng boldly presented his deductions. He sighed deeply and bowed. "Your Highness, although our Great Ming possesses two capitals, thirteen provinces, and hundreds of millions of people, if we speak of the present, our Ming is like a single man. This man may appear to walk with speed, but he is riddled with hidden ailments. Among his many sicknesses, few are acute; most are deep-seated, and the condition is worsening. If we do not cut away the rotting flesh and scrape the bone to treat the injury, when the time comes to finally act, the illness will have reached the vital organs, beyond the reach of medicine or heaven's help."

Zhu Zaiji looked at him with bright, smiling eyes. "The ancients said: governing a large state is like cooking a small fish. I suppose your analogy today follows the same logic."

Zhang Juzheng nodded silently. Once his breathing calmed, he spoke again. "Your Highness summoned us to the outside of the hall today and chose me to enter—perhaps to consult on policy, perhaps to cultivate talent for the Eastern Palace, or perhaps to find a vanguard. I eat the sovereign's salary and dare not speak recklessly, but if Your Highness does not possess the will to reform the nation..."

He looked up at the young Crown Prince. Zhu Zaiji felt a stir in his heart, meeting Zhang Juzheng's gaze.

Zhang Juzheng’s expression was resolute and firm. "If Your Highness lacks the will to reform, I will submit a memorial to resign and return home after leaving the palace today. But if Your Highness truly does not wish to see the state collapse, the people suffer, and all industries wither, and if you do not fear the dangers ahead, I am willing to serve as your vanguard, to be driven by you, to sweep across the four seas, and to return peace to the world."

Having said this, he raised his hands high and bowed to the ground.

This was the man who could extend the life of the Ming by fifty years, the one who could hold up the falling heavens!

Zhu Zaiji did not immediately give the answer Zhang Juzheng sought. Instead, he swept his arms outward, rolling his sleeves up over his knees. "Sir, now that you have spoken of the various ills of the nation, do you have any sound strategies to teach me?"

Rather than answering directly, he posed this question. Zhang Juzheng looked up, bewildered, gazing at the solemn Crown Prince in surprise.

He smiled helplessly. "Your Highness, I have been a bachelor in the Hanlin Academy for less than three years and hold no real office in the court. I do not possess the talent of a sage. I can observe the ills of the nation, and I have the desire to govern, but I have no ready-made plan. If I were to speak recklessly of reform now, merely to curry favor with Your Highness, it would not be my true intent, nor would I dare to jeopardize the fate of the nation with my wild talk."

Zhu Zaiji nodded, quite satisfied. This was a truly clever man.

For a twenty-five-year-old Zhang Juzheng to see where the dangers of the Ming lay was one thing, but to expect him to have a solution for governing the country right now would be unreasonable.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, Zhang Juzheng smiled and added: "However, since Your Highness has summoned and selected me to serve in the Wenhua Hall, I assume... Your Highness already has a plan in mind. I dare to request to hear your method, and I shall humbly offer my observations to fill any gaps. If Your Highness intends to carry out your plan, I have already stated my intent: I am willing to draft the documents and serve with the loyalty of a dog or a horse."

Now that both had subtly expressed their resolve, the atmosphere turned harmonious. Seeing the glimmer of craftiness in Zhang Juzheng’s eyes, Zhu Zaiji laughed. "You have a sharp eye, Sir. I have indeed been thinking of a method, which I call the 'Method of Examination and Completion'."

Every era has a system that fits it. Zhu Zaiji naturally knew of better systems, but could the current Ming utilize them? He knew that all political systems are built upon an economic foundation. One must fully consider the economic base and productivity to formulate a balanced and advanced system, rather than blindly and leapingly deviating from that foundation.

Zhang Juzheng raised an eyebrow. "The 'Method of Examination and Completion' you speak of, is it to refresh the administration?"

Although he did not yet know the details, his intuition told him it was aimed at rectifying and revitalizing the civil service. Zhu Zaiji was not surprised and nodded.

It was Zhang Juzheng's turn to be curious. Using Zhu Zaiji's earlier words, he bowed and asked, "Please, Your Highness, instruct me on this method."

Zhu Zaiji smiled and, without reservation, explained directly: "The Method of Examination and Completion lies in assessing the performance of all officials in the world, selecting the excellent and removing the incompetent. I have been thinking lately that although our court has the Beijing Assessment every six years and the provincial officials have their Great Audit every three years, the administration remains corrupt and government orders are difficult to execute. This is because these assessments are not sufficient to determine the successes and failures of the civil and military officials."

Zhang Juzheng bowed and listened, nodding occasionally. These were the underlying causes, the very reasons that necessitated such a method.

Zhu Zaiji continued: "I have been thinking: if officials were assessed every year, would they not be struck with fear by the strict laws and dare not slacken or engage in corruption? Therefore, I propose that the Cabinet conduct an annual review. The Six Offices of Scrutiny will inspect the Six Ministries, and the Six Ministries will inspect the officials of the provinces and prefectures."

"At the beginning of the year, the duties of each official must be set, along with a deadline. The Six Ministries and the Censorate will keep one record, the Six Offices will keep one, and the Cabinet will keep one—three records in total."

"When local governments and central departments complete a task, they mark it off. If they fail, they must report the reason truthfully; no concealment is allowed."

"In this way, the Six Ministries and Censorate will supervise all officials, the Six Offices will supervise the Ministries, and the Cabinet will audit everything at the end of the year—what was completed and what was not."

"Based on this, we shall reward, promote, or demote the officials."

"What do you think of this method, Sir?"

At that moment, Zhang Juzheng’s heart was like a raging sea. Although the Crown Prince already had a reputation for wisdom outside the palace, he had never imagined before today that a fourteen-year-old boy could be this brilliant!

Three record books, one stroke to complete the task. This was enough to hold all the officials of the world accountable. Zhang Juzheng could never have conceived of such a method.

He immediately bowed. "Governing a country is like driving a galloping horse; without the reins and the whip, one cannot keep it on the path. Managing affairs is like cooking a small fish; without the right heat, one cannot achieve the perfect flavor. Your Highness’s creation of this method truly carries the legacy of the 'eight methods' for governing from the Rites of Zhou, while incorporating the essence of Han Feizi’s principle of 'matching name to reality'."

Zhang Juzheng sighed, his face filled with emotion. He stepped forward and bowed again.

"This Method of Examination and Completion—setting limits to examine tasks, and using tasks to hold men accountable—its ingenuity is comparable to Great Yu casting the tripods to define the nine provinces, or Shang Yang erecting the wooden pole to clarify the laws!"

"I am convinced and fully committed."

As the words "fully committed" left his lips, Zhu Zaiji quietly stepped in front of him. Before Zhang Juzheng could react, Zhu Zaiji grabbed his hands with a smile. Without giving him a chance to speak, Zhu Zaiji pulled him toward the door of the hall.

Zhang Juzheng’s heart raced. He looked at the Crown Prince, who was only half a head shorter than himself, his face flushing slightly.

Only then did Zhu Zaiji release his grip. He stood at the door, looking up at the sun casting its light over the courtyard wall and the treetops.

"Sir."

"I can now answer the question I left hanging earlier."

Zhang Juzheng immediately clasped his hands and bowed, his brows slightly furrowed. His heart was already in turmoil from the Crown Prince's brilliance and the method he had just proposed.

The sunlight was perfect. The breeze was gentle. In the quiet Wenhua Hall, the two men, separated by ten years of age, stood together.

"You asked if I have the will to reform. I shall gift you a poem."

Zhang Juzheng looked up, curious. The Crown Prince was diligent in his studies, but he had never displayed a talent for poetry. Just as he was wondering, Zhu Zaiji spoke:

"It takes sacrifice to show bold ambition,
Dare to command the sun and moon to bring a new heaven.
I love to see the waves of grain a thousand times over,
And heroes everywhere descending through the evening mist."