"Your Majesty," Yan Shifan said, "this official disagrees with Vice Minister Zhao's interpretation."
"The Bannaji tribe are barbarians from the grasslands. They follow shamanism. They have no regard for ethics or literature. They are ignorant of the natural order, a people outside the bounds of civilization, followers of a heretical path."
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the rightful inheritor of the Mandate of Heaven. How could Heaven's will guide you to become the Emperor of the Bannaji tribe? Are you suggesting that the Emperor of the Great Ming should abandon virtue, abandon Daoist cultivation, and practice… shamanism?"
Yan Shifan's voice was loud and echoed repeatedly.
"Silence! Yan Shifan! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The one who rebuked Yan Shifan was none other than Grand Secretary Yan Song himself. The Grand Secretary had spoken. Junior Grand Secretary Xu Jie could no longer interject.
His hands, hidden within the wide sleeves of his robe, trembled with anger and frustration. In terms of quick wit and sophistry, Yan Shifan was truly the best in the Great Ming!
At least, among the "clear stream" officials, the righteous Confucian scholars, including Xu Jie and Zhao Zhengji, none could best him in a war of words.
"Your Majesty!"
Yan Song turned and bowed towards the curtain.
"This official has failed to discipline his son, allowing him to behave disrespectfully in your presence. Your subject is guilty."
Hearing this, Xu Jie closed his eyes in pain.
A plea for forgiveness?
Everyone present, aside from the truly foolish, understood that Yan Shifan had grasped the essence of the matter. His words had completely refuted Zhao Zhengji's interpretation of the character "Hu."
Brilliant!
If the Great Ming Emperor were to accept the surrender of the Bannaji tribe, wouldn't he become the "Emperor of the Grasslands," a follower of shamanism?
How could Emperor Jiajing possibly accept such a thing?!
The poor Bannaji tribe… For the rest of the Jiajing era, they would never be allowed to join the Central Plains.
Gong!
The chime sounded, and the curtain was pulled back, revealing Emperor Jiajing, dressed in his Daoist robe, seemingly deep in meditation. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"What crime has Yan Shifan committed?"
The Emperor spoke, and Xu Jie's heart sank. It was clear to everyone present that Emperor Jiajing was displeased.
"Grand Secretary, you have not failed in disciplining your son," he said. "Yan Shifan is right. I am the Emperor, the representative of the Heavenly Dao, the rightful ruler. How could I associate myself with barbarians?"
"Zhao Zhengji, for failing to study diligently, for misinterpreting the scriptures, for offering reckless advice, is hereby dismissed from office and banished from the capital! He shall never be allowed to serve the Great Ming again!"
Zhao Zhengji, kneeling on the ground, was stunned. He stared at the Emperor in disbelief, but sensing the coldness and anger in the Emperor's gaze, he quickly lowered his head. His body trembled, his heart filled with pain!
He had studied diligently for years, dreaming of serving the nation with honor and achieving glory. But the Emperor had rejected him!
Subconsciously, Zhao Zhengji looked at Yan Shifan who was kneeling beside him. And he saw it.
Yan Shifan, maintaining his kneeling posture, his head slightly turned, was looking at him with cold, mocking eyes!
A chill ran through Zhao Zhengji's body. It was as if his soul had left him, a lost and bewildered ghost.
After a long moment, he heard his own voice, numb and lifeless, "Your… Your subject… Your subject thanks you for your grace."
The Emperor's wrath, like thunder and rain, was also a form of grace. Even being dismissed from office, one had to express gratitude.
The palace guards approached and, in full view of the court, stripped Zhao Zhengji of his official hat and robes. Humiliated and disgraced, the man who Xu Jie had intended to promote to Minister of Rites next year, stumbled out of the Golden Luan Palace.
"Yan Shifan," the Emperor called out.
"Your subject is here."
"You have refuted Zhao Zhengji's interpretation of the character 'Hu.' Now, explain why his interpretation of 'Yun' is also incorrect."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Yan Shifan was overjoyed, while Xu Jie wanted to weep.
The Emperor's favor!
This was the Emperor's favor!
It was clear that after hearing Zhao Zhengji's interpretation, Emperor Jiajing had already rejected it.
This court debate… The "clear stream" faction had lost from the very beginning.
The "clear stream" officials trembled with fear.
Even the most dim-witted official now understood that Emperor Jiajing supported the Yan faction.
And in the Jiajing era, the officials were all shrewd and calculating. There were no fools among them.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Zhengji's claim that 'Yun' refers to Mount Yunmeng is a grave error," Yan Shifan said.
"Those who have abandoned us, we should not dwell on. Those who have betrayed us, we should not spare. As the Great Ancestor said: 'We may share a cup of wine, but we will not hesitate to draw our blades.' "
"Your Majesty has shown great kindness towards the descendant of Guiguzi. But he has rejected your grace. Therefore, from now on, we should only show him the edge of our swords! Your Majesty's grace is boundless, but is the descendant of Guiguzi worthy of receiving it?"
Xu Jie let out a long sigh, watching Yan Shifan in dismay. Yan Shifan, in turn, looked at him with the smugness of a victor.
The gap!
The immense gap!
Today, in this court, no one from the "clear stream" faction, not even Xu Jie himself, could best Yan Shifan in a battle of words!
"Taiyue… Why, at a time like this, are you escorting the Crown Prince to that mythical 'Southern Nest'?"
Zhang Juzheng was absent from the capital.
According to Imperial Astrologer Lan Daoxing, only a place called the "Southern Nest," an ancient location mentioned in legends, could awaken the Crown Prince from his coma.
Zhang Juzheng, entrusted with this task, guided by Lan Daoxing's vague directions, had departed with the Crown Prince.
They had no idea when they would return. And Emperor Jiajing hadn't even bothered to see them off, as if he didn't care whether the Crown Prince lived or died.
"Excellent!"
Emperor Jiajing spoke once more, repeating the Great Ancestor's words.
"We may share a cup of wine, but we will not hesitate to draw our blades. My dear officials, Junior Grand Secretary Xu… Have you all forgotten these words?"
Xu Jie immediately dropped to his knees.
"Your… Your subject… Dares not forget!"
He could utter no other words.
Emperor Jiajing looked at Xu Jie for a long moment before turning his gaze to Yan Song.
"An auspicious omen has descended from Heaven, yet you, the Grand Secretary, remain silent? This is not good."
"Speak. What is your interpretation of 'Hu Yun Shall Return'?"
For once, all the officials present understood the Emperor's intentions. He had called upon Yan Song, asking the Grand Secretary to offer the final word.
A court debate?
The Great Ming Dynasty had an Emperor. All matters were decided according to his will. What was the point of a debate?
The officials suddenly realized that all their years of studying, their knowledge and eloquence, were useless.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yan Song knelt and began his report. "This official believes that 'Yun' refers to Yunzhou."
"Our Great Ming Dynasty, encompassing the two capitals and thirteen provinces, a vast and prosperous land… Since our founding, we have never ceded a single inch of territory, not a single city, not a single village."
"'Yunzhou Shall Return' signifies Heaven's will for our nation to reclaim its lost territory. The Great Ming is not a dynasty destined for decline! We are not a broken empire!"
The aged Yan Song's voice was surprisingly firm and resolute.
If someone had been unaware of his true nature, they would have assumed he was the leader of the "clear stream," the embodiment of righteousness!
Emperor Jiajing, seated upon his throne, nodded with a smile.
"Good!"
Yan Song continued, "Your Majesty, this official dares to speculate that 'Hu' does not refer to a place or a barbarian tribe, but to a person!"
"Who?" Emperor Jiajing asked.
The answer was clear to everyone present, even to the Emperor himself. But the formalities had to be observed. The question had to be asked.
Yan Song clearly said, "'Hu' refers to Hu Zongxian! Yunzhou shall return to the Great Ming, and Hu Zongxian shall return to Yunzhou!
This is Heaven's will, your Majesty!
Hu Zongxian is destined to lead our armies and reclaim our lost territory!"