Chapter 010: The Emperor's Wisdom!

Zhu Yijun appointed as the head

Zhu Yijun thus thought to himself

On the other hand, from a long-term perspective, he still needs Zhang Juzheng to carry out the reforms of the early Wanli period on his behalf, laying the groundwork for his future direct governance. It is not yet appropriate for him to personally engage in confrontations with the bureaucratic groups.

Zhu Yijun said, "Approve it in red! You are right; if there are doubts, I can ask Master Zhang Yuanfu and inquire about the reasons for this action. However, I cannot act arbitrarily and do something that would disappoint Master Zhang Yuanfu, nor can I allow myself to be labeled as a tyrant."

It would be better if Feng Bao were gone; it is quite good for someone like Zhang Hong, who does not take the initiative to intervene, to have his eunuch serve as the head of the ceremonial office

At this moment, Zhu Yijun had no choice but to say: "No need! Mr. Yuanfu Zhang can explain the reasoning behind it, allowing me to be clear-minded; why would I go against Mr. Zhang's wishes for no reason? I have already instructed the Grand Council to approve Mr. Zhang's original proposal, so let Zhao Zhengji live out the rest of his life peacefully at home!"

Because Feng Bao was fully capable of using his own status as a regent, along with the trust that the two empress dowagers placed in Zhang Juzheng and Confucian ethics, to compel me, the emperor, to unconditionally obey Zhang Juzheng's will

"Your Majesty, the wisdom of the late Emperor is indeed profound! The late Emperor, watching from above, would surely be pleased."

Zhu Yijun indeed cannot truly ignore Empress Dowager Li at this moment, nor can he afford to dismiss Zhang Juzheng.

If it were not for Zhu Yijun's knowledge that Feng Bao was historically more corrupt than Zhang Juzheng and was also domineering and overstepping his authority, he would only believe that Feng Bao was genuinely considering his interests based solely on Feng Bao's current words, and that the obstacles preventing him from exercising imperial power were merely from the two empress dowagers and Zhang Juzheng

On this day, during a break in the lecture at the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yijun still inquired about why Zhang Juzheng did not utilize Zhao Zhengji's services

Moreover, Feng Bao noticed that Zhu Yijun was silent and proactively smiled while suggesting: "Your Majesty, if you truly wish to exercise absolute authority, it is not necessary to rely on Mr. Zhang Yuanfu. In any case, this old servant will certainly follow all of Your Majesty's commands."

In fact, Zhu Yijun was well aware that the true reason Zhang Juzheng did not employ Zhao Zhengji was that Zhao Zhengji was not as honest as Lü Diaoyang

It can be said that the character Zhao Zhengji in a certain television drama is actually completely different in personality.

Without Feng Bao, he can rely on his identity as the emperor, and coupled with his status as a time traveler, he understands the current Ming Dynasty better than the historical Wanli Emperor. This allows him to exert some pressure on Zhang Juzheng in certain governmental matters

Your Majesty

Zhu Yijun is able to understand this and knows that since he wants to use Zhang Juzheng to offend the bureaucratic group for the purpose of addressing the most urgent issue of the empty national treasury in the Ming Dynasty, he indeed needs to grant Zhang Juzheng immense trust. He must allow Zhang Juzheng to employ those whom he can command, and it is not appropriate to think about balancing Zhang Juzheng at this moment.

In response to Your Majesty, although Zhao Zhengji possesses exceptional talents, he often speaks without restraint and lacks the grace expected of a minister. I am concerned that his demeanor is insufficient; therefore, he has not been appointed. If Your Majesty insists on employing him, I shall draft a new proposal.

He knew that it might be because he appeared overly clever, such as knowing figures like Hai Rui, Xu Fan, and Xu Kun, and even having prepared arguments in advance to refute Zhang Juzheng's proposed opinions, which made Feng Bao, the political ally of Zhang Juzheng and Empress Dowager Li, more vigilant, to the extent that Feng Bao had to personally carry out his duties despite being injured

Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and said: "Daban, you have misunderstood! How could I not be willing to trust Master Zhang Yuanfu? The ones I trust the most are Master Zhang Yuanfu and you. Both of you, along with the library, are the trusted ministers left to me by my father. Without either of you, I would feel uneasy."

At this moment, Zhu Yijun realized that he was still at a disadvantage in terms of power struggles compared to Feng Bao

Feng Bao, seeing Zhu Yijun's perceptiveness, felt delighted and did not forget to offer a compliment.

Even so, after Feng Bao confirmed that Zhu Yijun might be different from an ordinary young emperor, displaying early wisdom and insight, there was still a hint of caution in his tone

However, when Feng Baoyi arrived, he was completely unable to suppress Zhang Juzheng, nor could he compel Zhang Juzheng to submit to his will

Therefore, the incident in which Zhu Yijun forced Zhang Juzheng to change his mind during the morning lecture at the Wenhua Hall does not indicate that Zhu Yijun's methods were particularly clever, to the extent that he could directly compel Zhang Juzheng to yield.

Zhu Yijun watched this scene unfold before his eyes, remaining silent.

At this moment, Feng Bao asked another question instead of directly instructing someone to take Zhang Juzheng's draft for approval.

The fundamental reason for all of this lies in the fact that Feng Bao is not a true Director of the Court of Imperial Ceremonies who listens to the words of this Emperor

Feng Bao indeed did not display arrogance or usurp authority in front of Zhu Yijun, but rather spoke in a calm tone

Zhang Juzheng also provided his reasons, and he did not display any signs of overstepping his authority. He stated that if the emperor insisted on using it, he would not oppose.

Otherwise, Feng Bao could completely use Mr. Zhang's handling result as a reason that political correctness cannot be refuted, and first request the emperor's approval to issue a decree, thereby directly transforming Zhang Juzheng's draft into a sacred edict

Feng Bao gritted his teeth, enduring the pain on his face, and marked Zhang Juzheng's draft with red.

Zhang Juzheng let out a sigh of relief and, at the same time, clasped his hands together, saying: "Your Majesty trusts me, and I shall dedicate my life and efforts to repay your grace, even if it is just a fraction of it"

Zhu Yijun did not say anything

Once Zhao Zhengji enters the cabinet, he will naturally not heed Zhang Juzheng's advice, and Zhang Juzheng will certainly not employ someone who is unwilling to listen to him

On one hand, if he were to truly defy Empress Dowager Li at this moment, she could openly confront him, allying with Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, and easily impose a charge of filial impiety upon him, just as in history, threatening to depose him.

At this moment, Zhu Yijun could only comply with Feng Bao's wishes

In fact, Zhu Yijun's ability to compel Zhang Juzheng to compromise today during the lecture at the Wenhual Hall, appoint Hai Rui, and dismiss Xu Fan and Xu Kun, was solely due to Feng Bao's temporary return home for recuperation. Additionally, Zhang Hong, who replaced Feng Bao and was responsible for the imperial documents, was unwilling to interfere with the emperor's decisions.

Moreover, Zhu Yijun himself had to admit that Feng Bao was very skilled at performing

This is another reason why Zhu Yijun agreed to Feng Bao's request to approve the red document before this.

After all, on the surface, Feng Bao was merely analyzing the situation for himself, without forcing the emperor to act according to his wishes, and throughout the process, he was only advising the emperor to heed Zhang Juzheng's counsel

Zhang Juzheng's statement was naturally because he had already learned in advance that the draft decision not to appoint Zhao Zhengji had been approved, hence he feigned a posture.

However, what truly troubled Zhu Yijun was that his power was too limited, so limited that he might not be able to prevent Feng Bao from harming his sister in the future, nor could he stop Zhang Juzheng from excessively suppressing his political rivals. Furthermore, he had no authority to make any amendments to Zhang Juzheng's reforms

Moreover, historically, Zhao Zhengji was as principled and outspoken as Hai Rui, having directly criticized Yan Song on multiple occasions. He was even imprisoned as a result and endured corporal punishment, but fortunately, he was not killed.

He naturally cannot force Zhu Yijun to act according to his will, but he can use various reasons to make Zhu Yijun comply with Zhang Juzheng's will, and he can further make Zhang Juzheng act according to his own will

Whether Zhang Juzheng is worthy of the Empress Dowager's trust is entirely a matter of his words