Pushing His Idea of Governance

Abstract

After he had successfully put down Zhu Chen-hao’s rebellion , Wang Yang-ming disbanded the armies in Nanchang and managed to appease the public, in an attempt to help the local people return to their normal lives.

5.1 The Fatuous Emperor

After he had successfully put down Zhu Chen-hao’s rebellion , Wang Yang-ming disbanded the armies in Nanchang and managed to appease the public, in an attempt to help the local people return to their normal lives. Meanwhile, Wang Yang-ming submitted the memorial entitled Memo on the Capture of Zhu Chen-hao to the Imperial Court in the first place, in which he gave a full account of how he ended the revolts. However, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao ignored the letter only to decide on a whim to send a punitive expedition against Zhu Chen-hao in person!

Why on earth did the Emperor persist in involving himself personally in the so-called battle? Did he really intend to fight against Zhu Chen-hao?

As mentioned repeatedly in previous chapters, we can see very clearly that it was a crying shame for Zhu Hou-zhao to be in power as an emperor. During his 16-year ruling period, the Ming dynasty witnessed the darkest political chaos. At the beginning of his reigning period, Zhu Hou-zhao put the Imperial Court in a total mess, blindly trusting Liu Jin , a senior eunuch, dismissing senior officials from the position at will, and making false charges against loyal and reliable officials. Even after Liu Jin was executed, he still didn’t come to his senses. He turned to favor and trust such treacherous followers as Qian Ning and Jiang Bin , wandering around to idle away his time all day long. As an emperor, he led a profligate and promiscuous life without respect to ethics. He stayed away from Beijing most of the time. Even when he was in Beijing, he showed up neither at the Imperial Court nor the Imperial Harem, but at the “Leopard House .” Mind you, since the title “Leopard House” is quite misleading, it should not be taken literally. In fact, it was not a place where leopards were kept, but a place privately reserved for the Emperor’s indecent pleasure. It was built in the second year of his reign at the instigation of Qian Ning .

So what kind of person was Qian Ning? Well, frankly speaking, he was a scoundrel. According to the historical records, Qian Ning came out of nowhere with no family name. When he was a child, Qian was sold as a domestic servant to a eunuch named Qian Neng . Being docile and smart, he pleased Qian Neng and was named after his master. After Qian Neng died, this adopted “son” was enlisted in the Jinyiwei Guard , the imperial military secret police as a grand favor bestowed by the Imperial Court . As he spared no effort to ingratiate himself with Liu Jin , he had the opportunity to attend upon the Emperor. Being devious and slick, Qian Ning became a skillful bowman, capable of drawing the bow both on the left and right. His uncommon ability pleased the Emperor who began to be on intimate terms with Qian. Gradually, they became so attached to each other that Qian Ning acted like a shadow of the Emperor. Then one day, the Emperor declared Qian Ning as his foster son on the spur of the moment. It meant a lot to Qian Ning indeed—he became noble and honorable overnight, and he felt as if he had reached the sky in a single bound. He couldn’t have been more conceited, swaggering, and defiant. Claiming to be one of “the concubine’s children of the Emperor” in public, he wheeled and dealt around, trying to serve his master attentively and thoughtfully. Now that he knew well about the Emperor’s tastes and hobbies, he managed to assemble a group of monks who had expertise in “Mi Xi ,”¹ dancing beauties and skillful musicians, which struck Zhu with a thrill of joy. Subsequently, Qian Ning persuaded the Emperor to build a particular place in the Forbidden City to accommodate those performers, and named it the “Leopard House .” Later on, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao resided there day and night indulging himself in those extremely extravagant and luxurious obscene secret plays and licentious performances. In the “Leopard House,” he behaved just like a free and violent leopard: there he played Cu Ju ,² wrestling, feasting, singing and dancing, music, women musicians, obscene plays, and so on. What a dissolute life! The passionate emperor even tried a thousand ways to make merry. He invented a new way of drinking, in which the beauties and eunuchs fed him with wine in turn. If he got drunk, he would fall asleep by pillowing his head on Qian Ning. As soon as the Emperor woke up from the drunken sleep, the games resumed. Frequently the ministers and senior officials went to the Imperial Court only to find the Emperor was absent and they had to wait for a long time before he showed up late in the morning. If they could see Qian Ning coming out of the “Leopard House ,” those ministers were sure that the Emperor would appear soon after. After Liu Jin , the former senior eunuch, was killed, his home was searched and the property confiscated. But the property did not become state-owned but privately owned by the “Leopard House.” Moreover, the last end of Liu terrified Qian Ning to some extent, which reinforced his belief that he should try to establish a good connection with the lords of the vassal states in order to consolidate his position in the Imperial Court . When the Ning Wang rushed around in Beijing aiming to restore his defenses through bribery with the enormous bribes carried by mule carts, Qian Ning tried every possible means to help. So it would be fair to say, the rebellion of the Ning Wang had something to do with Qian Ning .

Well, that is the story of Qian Ning, and here comes another “big shot”: Jiang Bin . Jiang was another man who was specially trusted and favored by the Emperor. Coming from Xuanfu ,³ he had a contact with Zhu by the introduction of Qian Ning . Once being a frontier commander at the border, Jiang Bin was well built and had amazingly strong arms. He had expertise in military strategy and tactics as well, which made him interesting and compatible with the Emperor. Before long he gained the trust of Zhu and was allowed to go to the “Leopard House ” at will and even slept together with the Emperor. With their closeness, Jiang Bin found that the Emperor’s pursuits not only lay in merry-making in the “Leopard House,” but something more exciting and stimulating, such as “playing with the troops,” which was just right up his alley. Then he encouraged the Emperor to assemble and bring some troops from the frontier to the capital Beijing and drill the soldiers in the palace. Zhu was very pleased with the interesting idea because it would make his crazy idea of “playing with the troops” come true, and so he did. When he was dressed in shining armor, seeming majestic and dignified, and riding slowly on a caparisoned steed through the military teams side by side with Jiang Bin , the Emperor felt just terrific! Very soon the Zhengde Emperor even raised an army of eunuchs from the palace. The army was at his command and was drilled all day long, shouting and shuttling back and forth in the Forbidden City . Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao struck a pose in a battle robe and wore a sun hat with long peacock feathers on it, just like a real general. What a fantastic thrill! It couldn’t have been better! To feed the Emperor’s addiction to troops, Jiang Bin tempted Zhu Hou-zhao by saying, “Your Majesty , my hometown Xuanfu is really a wonderful place, which produces not only a wealth of beautiful girls, but also skillful musicians. Above all, you can watch the genuine battle array there, with the troops galloping across the battlefield varying from minute to minute. Majesty, don’t you think it a good idea to relax yourself, and go and have a look there, instead of staying in the stifling Imperial Court doing everything with the interference of those ministers?” This idea just suited the Emperor down to the ground, and it was accepted on the nod. Hurriedly, they slipped out of the palace in plain clothes without any delay. However, as they intended to go through Juyong Pass in Changping ,⁴ much to their surprise, Zhu Hou-zhao was recognized by Zhang Qin ,⁵ the Xun’an Yushi . Under the strong opposition and earnest persuasion of Zhang Qin , the Emperor had to go back dejectedly, with his inner fury restrained and unexposed. Several days later, the Emperor and his servant sought another opportunity to flee and finally succeeded in crossing the Juyong Pass and arrived at the destination, Xuanfu . Now we could easily conceive how hospitable and attentive Jiang Bin was once they settled there. He strained every nerve to please the Emperor. At first, he set about to build a magnificent house with a big courtyard for Zhu Hou-zhao , called “Chamber of Zhenguo Lord .” It was so named because the Zhengde Emperor had enjoyed being a commander when he “played with the troops” and declared himself to be “Zhu Shou —Mighty General and Zhenguo Lord .” Zhu Shou is another name he gave to himself. Once the construction was completed, Jiang Bin gave the order to move all the beautiful dancing maids, exotic treasures and instrument players from the “Leopard House ” to the new place where he even slept together with the Emperor. Frequently, the Zhengde Emperor went out to hunt frantically and recklessly for beautiful women among the natives during the night. Zhu Hou-zhao was so pleased and joyful staying here that he often referred to the residence as his new “home.” And from then on he went back “home” from time to time, seeking to recruit beautiful women far and near to make merry no matter the women were married or pregnant. For instance, one of his favorite women, lady Liu , was the wife of Yang, a musician working for the Chamber of Jin Wang in Shanxi Province . Likewise, lady Ma , wife of a conductor named Bi Chun , was pregnant when she was taken to the Zhengde Emperor . The Emperor enjoyed traveling thousands of miles away with his followers. Wherever they went, they searched for beautiful women voraciously. The number of recruited women reached several hundred. Those women were dragged in carriages traveling along with Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao . Besides, the most absurd story was that the Emperor ordered those beautiful women to share the carriages with the monks. The women were given round balls and were asked to tease the monks by hitting them on the baldhead with the balls when the carriages jolted badly on the rough road. Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao became overjoyed and couldn’t help laughing broadly at the sight of this.

It turned out that such a silly and fatuous emperor brought great misfortune not only to the Ming dynasty , but more directly to Wang Yang-ming. When Zhu Chen-hao first revolted, the Emperor still felt at ease, traveling here and there and having a good time either in the “Leopard House ” or in the Chamber of Zhenguo Lord in Xuanfu . It was not until Zhu Chen-hao was captured by Wang Yang-ming that the Emperor and Jiang Bin began to plan a strategy against Zhu Chen-hao , because it suddenly occurred to the Emperor that it was a golden opportunity for him to “play with the troops!” In the past, he had only played in the palace and watched at the frontier, but never in a genuine battlefield. Wasn’t it the chance of a lifetime? How wonderful! It was unnecessary to command generals and military officers to send troops and Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao decided to lead an army to fight against rebels in person. That is to say, the Emperor’s real intention here was to take the chance to travel around devouring the prosperity and beauties from the south of Yangtze River on the one hand and on the other hand to play with the troops on his own, rather than end the revolts.

For Wang Yang-ming, the Emperor’s crazy mind was indeed unimaginable. Hearing the news that the Emperor would lead his army to put down Zhu Chen-hao’s revolt, Wang assumed that the Emperor might not know much about the actual situation, possibly because his Memo on the Capture of Zhu Chen-hao was delayed on the way somehow and didn’t reach the Imperial Court on time. Thus, on August 17, he wrote another letter to the Emperor entitled Memorial on the Request of Stopping the Emperor’s Punitive Expedition , restating that since the anti-rebellion war had come to an end, Zhu Chen-hao and other chief leaders were entirely captured and all the supporters cleared up, he was going to take all the captives under escort to the Imperial Court in person. However, much to his surprise, he got an order from the Emperor once again, asking him to stop taking the captives to the Imperial Court, and wait for the Emperor’s punitive expedition to Jiangxi Province .

Up to then, facing the abnormal response from the Zhengde Emperor , Wang Yang-ming began to realize what a severe situation he was in. He was actually involved in an even grimmer and more complicated political war that he had never confronted, as his enemy was neither bandits in the mountains nor the unjustifiable rebellious under the Ning Wang, but Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao . With tremendous courage and wisdom, Wang had once mapped out proper strategies to deal with the bandits in the mountains, having the situation at his command and never getting confounded and stuck. He was capable of employing ingenious and artful tactics with facility even when the news about Zhu Chen-hao , the Ning Wang’s revolt, was laid on him abruptly. But now, when he realized the Emperor’s obstinate persistence in battle against the Ning Wang personally in spite of his discouragement, Wang Yang-ming was torn with anxiety and could not fall asleep for days. Wang Yang-ming was well aware of the situation he was faced with. On the one hand, the Zhengde Emperor was leading the army in the company of such vile people as the eunuchs Zhang Zhong , Zhang Yong , Xu Tai , and Jiang Bin , who behaved arrogantly and imperiously like brutal beasts in reliance on the blind trust of the Emperor. On the other hand, the people in Jiangxi Province could not suffer more and bear another war after those years of successive turbulence in Nanchang City. If the Emperor led the army south into Nanchang again, the people would confront another disaster. Therefore, the top priority for Wang Yang-ming currently was to try every possible means to prevent the Emperor and his troops from entering Nanchang.

However, as for the Emperor, he just wanted to have fun and the people’s miseries were not his concern. His followers like Jiang Bin , Xu Tai and Zhang Zhong were wild and unbridled to the extreme, hunting and robbing the beauties, curiosities, and treasuries all the way to Nanjing . In October, when the Emperor arrived in Nanjing, the whole city fell into chaos. Jiang Bin, Xu Tai, and others frantically extorted money from the local people, playing the gangster. Many local officials bravely stood up to the violence. Here are some examples.

When Jiang Bin and his group arrived in Nanjing, they made trouble in the streets and robbed people of their money almost every day, leaving locals extremely miserable. A man named Qiao Yu , the Shangshu of Bing Bu in Nanjing , a well-known poet and essayist as well, had a close association with Wang Yang-ming in the early years. When Qiao couldn’t stand Jiang Bin’s outrageous behavior anymore, he decided to teach him a lesson. While Jiang Bin had been a general at the frontier, large and robust, Qiao Yu asked some short but skillful folk martial artists to fight him on the drill ground. Being flexible and nimble, those folk martial artists had the advantage over Jiang Bin , throwing him to the ground and beating him heavily.

Another man named Kou Tian-xu , Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture of the day, was Qiao Yu’s fellow townsman from Shanxi Province . He was a truly wise and funny man, tall in height, but nearsighted. Knowing someone sent by Jiang Bin would come for money every day, he deliberately wore an unsuited hat and particularly small clothes to meet them and politely addressed them “My Lord,” pretending that he was too poor in eyesight to recognize them. When he was asked for money, he would respond with a deep sigh, “Oh, my! People in Nanjing are penniless and there is no money or goods stored in the government warehouse as well. Look at me, as Prefect of the Yingtian Prefecture, I have to be on duty dressed like this every day.” And another day, when he knew how Jiang Bin was punished by Qiao Yu , he followed the same example. He sent for similar short but strong martial artists among the folks to patrol in the streets. Once they found Jiang Bin and his men extorting money from people or making trouble in the market, they would fight them. As a result, Jiang Bin’s gangs had to restrain themselves in Nanjing .

Jiang Yao , the Taishou of Yangzhou , was another honest and humorous man. When Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao and his men marched to Jiangxi from Yangzhou by boat, all the local residential houses along the river were ordered to be pulled down just for the convenience of towing the Emperor’s boat. Hearing this, Jiang Yao said, “The houses along the river are not the place that the Zhengde Emperor is going to visit. If they need to tow the boat, obviously, they can make their way along the banks. Why should they take the trouble to pull down the houses? So, no one is allowed to do that. If it offends the Zhengde Emperor , I, as the Taishou of Yangzhou , will take all the responsibility.” One day, when Jiang Bin demanded he tell the local wealthy and influential families, Jiang Yao replied, “Oh, Yangzhou is really a tiny place, with four wealthy and influential families only.” Jiang asked, “Which four? Tell me quickly!” Jiang Yao answered, “The first one is the Zhuanyun Si ⁶ of the Huai River Basin Areas ⁷; the second is the Yangzhou Chamber ⁸; the third is the Chaoguan⁹ Zhushi ; and the last one is the Jiangdu County¹⁰ Government. The people of Yangzhou are too poor and there are no other families richer than those four.” Another day Jiang Bin issued a decree intending to select some concubines for the Zhengde Emperor from the local girls.” Jiang Yao said, “There are only three young girls in Yangzhou .” “Where are they?” Jiang Bin inquired. Jiang Yao answered, “I, the prefect, have three daughters. If the Zhengde Emperor needs them badly, all that I can do is to have the honor of sending them to him, for there are no other young girls here.” Hearing this, Jiang Bin could say nothing in reply.

From the cases above, we could clearly see the so-called “Emperor’s Punitive Expedition ” did bring extra burdens to the local people. What was worse, the followers like Jiang Bin and Xu Tai abused their power and domineered the local people ruthlessly, loaning the power of the Emperor to the devil, and throwing people into greater misery, while the upright government officials like Qiao Yu , Kou Tian-xu , and Jiang Yao , who fought for justice in their peculiar manners, were still in the minority.

Wang Yang-ming was well aware that if the Zhengde Emperor led the army into Nanchang , the local people were doomed to be afflicted with torturous suffering. Prioritizing the best interests of the people, Wang Yang-ming decided to ignore the Zhengde Emperor’s order to “stop taking the captives to the Imperial Court , and waiting for the Emperor’s punitive expedition to Jiangxi Province .” Seriously ill as he was, he worked diligently and managed to restore the local political order and reconstruct the cities in Jiangxi. On July 30, the day after putting down the rebellion led by Zhu Chen-hao , Wang Yang-ming submitted a written statement to the Imperial Court requesting an exemption from grain tax in Jiangxi Province with the aim of resuming the local production as soon as possible. As the Ning Wang had seized some government seals from the prefectural magistrates of Jiangxi at the beginning of his rebellion and a great many local government officials were involved in the affairs for one reason or another, the local official governance was paralyzed. After the war, Wang Yang-ming differentiated the guilty officials by either demanding them to atone for their crimes in their posts or assigning them to a new office. Thus, the political order of government in different levels was soon resumed. As soon as a series of military and political affairs were settled, Wang Yang-ming decided to send Zhu Chen-hao and other captives under escort to the Imperial Court in person by waterway on September 11. Wang Yang-ming thought that since the Zhengde Emperor came in person in the name of sending a punitive expedition against Zhu Chen-hao , if he sent Zhu away to the capital before the Emperor arrived, there would be no reason for the Emperor to lead the army into Jiangxi anymore.

However, things were not as simple as Wang had expected. When he, with Zhu Chen-hao and other captives under guard, reached Guangxin ,¹¹ he unexpectedly received an official document from Zhang Zhong , passed on by the Ancha Si of Jiangxi Province and entitled “Eunuch Zhang, the Imperial Envoy and Guard .” In the document, Zhang Zhong loftily accused Wang Yang-ming of negligence of duty in appeasing the public and dealing with local affairs in Nanchang , and of his persistence in sending the captives in person in disregard of the Emperor’s order. What was more, Zhang Zhong claimed that it was unsuitable for the army serving outside the Imperial Court to escort so many females of Ning Wang, “If someone violates propriety, who is to blame?” Thus, he demanded that Wang return to Nanchang immediately and send the captives back to Jiangxi, and wait for the Emperor’s order.

The “official document” from Zhang Zhong was written in a haughty tone. It also involved a hidden vicious attack as well, which showed his deliberate evil intentions. On receiving it, Wang Yang-ming responded immediately and reacted accordingly. For one thing, he wrote back to the judge of Jiangxi (who had passed on the document to Wang Yang-ming) about the arrest of Zhu Chen-hao and other rebels. In the letter, he particularly emphasized that the safety of the female relatives of the Ning Wang could be guaranteed as they were guarded by the internal staff from the respective chambers of the generals, and he asserted that he would never return to Nanchang but go on his way to Nanjing with the captives. For the other, he wrote to the Bing Bu asking for a test on the authenticity of the “official document” from Zhang Zhong . In fact, Wang had no doubt about the authenticity of the document. Doing this, he just wanted to inform the Bing Bu of the situation he was in, and the stand and attitude he took on this matter.

Then came the most incredible and ridiculous part of the story. When Zhang Zhong got to know that Wang Yang-ming was staying in Guangxin and refused to obey orders, he ordered people to go to Guangxin to bring the message. He clearly and firmly demanded Wang take Zhu Chen-hao and other captives back to Nanchang and to release them around Poyang Lake . That is to say, Zhu Chen-hao should be free when the Zhengde Emperor came. And the Emperor could capture him again on his own! Apparently, such an incredible and ridiculous decision was by no means made by Zhang Zhong . Without the permission of the Emperor, no matter how bold and reckless he was, he would never dare to act like this. Apparently, the Emperor was the strong backstage supporter of all the decisions. Facing this, how courageous and resourceful Yang-ming was to reject the order! At that time, Wang refused Zhang sternly in the reply, while Zhang was unwilling to give up, and he persisted in sending messages to Guangxin again and again. In order to avoid more trouble, Wang Yang-ming and his men left Guangxin overnight. Along the river, they went to Zhejiang Province via Yushan County and Caoping Inn .

In early October, Wang Yang-ming reached Hangzhou with the captives. A eunuch named Zhang Yong and his army had already arrived there and was waiting for them. Zhang Yong , generally an honest man, had once made contributions to the arrest and killing of Liu Jin , so had already won a good reputation. After arriving in Hangzhou, Wang Yang-ming decided to call on him. However, Zhang Yong set out in advance only to pave the way for the Emperor’s next trip. It was natural for Zhang to take sides with the Emperor that it would be better for Wang to release Zhu Chen-hao to Poyang Lake , and to let the Emperor capture the supposed free man again. So, when Wang paid the visit, Zhang Yong refused to see him. Then, pushing the gatekeeper away, Wang shouted loudly and emotionally, “I am Wang Shou-ren . I came over to discuss state affairs with you. Why do you refuse to meet me?” Hearing this, Zhang was astounded by his inspiring righteousness and noble aspiration! When they met eventually, Wang revealed his inner thoughts to Zhang. He earnestly expected Zhang to persuade the Emperor to stop and go back to Beijing , the capital city. He told Zhang that people in Jiangxi couldn’t afford to withstand more wars and chaos after suffering years of turmoil and torment from the Ning Wang. Zhang Yong was stirred by Wang Yang-ming’s words. Then Zhang responded, “I am well aware of some vile creatures around the Emperor, I accompanied the Emperor with my mouth shut and assisted him quietly. I know what I was doing during this trip was not for claiming the credit at all. Now we can try to obey the Emperor and then act according to the circumstance. Then there is probability to turn things right. If not, at the instigation of the vile creatures, the situation will be out of control. So, what we can do now is to bide our time for further action.” On October 9, Wang Yang-ming went to see Zhang Yong again. As they were standing by the Qiantang River , Zhang Yong pointed to the ship where Zhu Chen-hao was being guarded, saying “I want this!” Wang Yang-ming responded with a smile, “What do I have it for?” At last, Zhu Chen-hao was handed over and sent back to Nanjing under escort by Zhang Yong .

After that, Wang was feeling very fatigued, mentally and physically. Having been in poor health, he felt even worse after years of military service and finally collapsed. Then he lived in Jingci Temple in Hangzhou to take a rest, nursing his body and mind , and above all, waiting for the news of the Emperor’s return to Beijing . In his regard, the Emperor was intent on Zhu Chen-hao after all. Since Zhu Chen-hao had been handed over to Zhang Yong , it was natural for the Emperor to return to Beijing as soon as he met Zhu Chen-hao in Nanjing .

However, Wang’s anticipation turned out to be too simple and naive. He got the news of the Emperor one day, not about his return to Beijing as he expected, but about his going on his way to the South. The Emperor and his army had reached Yangzhou by then. Hearing this, Wang Yang-ming left for Zhenjiang immediately by waterway in spite of his poor condition, to attempt to dissuade the Emperor in person from going to Nanchang . However, as soon as he arrived in Zhenjiang , he unexpectedly got an imperial order appointing him a concurrent post of Jiangxi Xunfu ¹² and to leave to assume office without any delay. Hopeless and helpless, he had to turn back to Nanchang from Zhenjiang along the Yangtze River in November.

At that time, Nanchang city was trapped in a great disaster once again when the northern troops led by Jiang Bin and Xu Tai settled there. With the streets full of armies and horses, it was difficult for people to walk around and it was easy to imagine what the locals were suffering from. What was worse, in the name of hunting for remnants of Zhu Chen-hao’s gang, Jiang Bin , Xu Tai, and their troops killed common people at random, claiming military credit with the shedding of innocent blood. Not to mention they plundered people’s money and property at will. And the most shocking and incredible of all, they spread rumors around, framing Wang Yang-ming up noisily with their ulterior and dirty motives. They spread malicious tales, saying “Wang Yang-ming was virtually one of Zhu Chen-hao’s accomplices, and the plotter and maker of the rebellion. He had no alternative but to arrest Zhu Chen-hao only when he got to know the Emperor was about to go to Nanchang in person with the imperial military. That is to say, Wang Yang-ming was not only a conspirator, but a man with phony military merit.” Such villains as Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai were, they even intended to arrest Wang Yang-ming with the merely contrived and calculated accusations. As Wang Yang-ming was on his way and they couldn’t arrest him, they arrested Wu Wen-ding and tortured him during the interrogation instead. Wu was the former prefect of Ji’an , was promoted to be the Jiangxi Ancha Si after the war, and had made the biggest contribution to the extermination of the rebellion. From this case, we can easily conceive how tyrannical and reckless they were in Nanchang, abusing the Emperor’s power.

Returning from Zhenjiang , Wang Yang-ming encountered the last thing he wanted to see in Nanchang: The people there were plunged into dire suffering again soon after the war and they were afflicted by the outrages from the evil creatures like Jiang Bin , Xu Tai , and Zhang Zhong even more than they had been from Zhu Chen-hao . Abetted by the Gang of Zhang Zhong , the soldiers of the northern army often hurled abuse and insults at the sight of Wang Yang-ming . Being aggressive, they often made trouble or even had physical conflicts with Wang Yang-ming in public. Faced with such a situation, Wang Yang-ming, putting the general interest of the public in priority, remained calm and tolerant to their vicious deeds. He was kind and courteous to the soldiers in return. Confronted by them in the street, Wang greeted them first; hearing of the casualties in the army, Wang made inquiries and expressed his sympathy and solicitude for them. Before long, the northern soldiers were greatly touched by Wang’s words and acts, saying “Wang always receives us with courtesy. How can we treat him so rudely like this in return?” The soldiers gradually paid their admiration to him.

In fact, Wang’s top priority at the moment was to make the troops withdraw and to restore the people to their normal life as soon as possible. Having gained great esteem among the soldiers, he managed to find a way to draw the troops out of the city. Firstly, he made an official announcement to the public, literally calling on Nanchang citizens to make allowances for the northern soldiers go around and try to be charitable. He argued, “These soldiers are far from their land, leaving their wives and children at home. Their homesickness is almost unimaginable to you all. In addition, the damp weather here doesn’t agree with them either. You can’t realize how painful they may feel in their bodies. Thus, hopefully, stop making complaints and show consideration for them all.” Apparently, the announcement was made to the Nanchang people, yet it was aimed at the northern soldiers, provoking strong surges of nostalgia for their homeland and families. It happened that when the Winter Solstice ¹³ was approaching, Wang Yang-ming prearranged to hold a memorial ceremony for it. He called for each family in Nanchang to offer sacrifices to their elders and deceased ancestors. Since it was not long after the rebellion and war against Zhu Chen-hao and the follow-up slaughter of the innocent by the gang of Zhang Zhong , the city became white all over on that very day. People were all dressed white, long and narrow white flags for calling back the spirits of the dead could be seen everywhere, and white joss paper flew in the air with the crying around all day long. Having seen this, the northern soldiers missed their families a lot and an overwhelming bout of homesickness prayed on their mind . They demanded to go back home. When Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai realized the army’s morale had gone too far, they were afraid that they couldn’t stay in Nanchang any longer. Whereas they were not reconciled to accept the defeat and leave, they made terms with Wang Yang-ming by demanding to have an archery contest with him. They claimed that they would leave if they were defeated. Boasting of their archery skills, they believed that Wang was doomed to lose and prepared to use the occasion to humiliate him.

As Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai challenged him to the contest, Wang Yang-ming declined it and confessed that he was just a bookworm who was not adept at archery at all. However, Zhang and Xu were not content to let him off, insisting on having the contest. Under such circumstances, Wang had no choice but to meet the challenge. The following day, in an open area on the drill ground, an arrow target was set in the center with northern soldiers around. Wang Yang-ming approached the shooting range calmly and slowly. Fitting arrows and pulling the bow three times in a row, Wang hit the very target without any mistake. Every time he succeeded, the soldiers watching cheered and shouted “Well done!” Zhang and Xu were absolutely shocked at the sight, because it never occurred to them that Wang had such amazing archery skills, and that above all an unfavorable atmosphere in the army was alarming to them. They wondered, “How could our troops side with Wang Yang-ming!” As they had made an agreement before the contest, Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai had to withdraw the troops from Nanchang at the time when it was already December.

In time, Wang Yang-ming successfully forced the northern army to leave Nanchang by virtue of his noble character, his brilliant political savvy, and his skillful archery. After a momentary relief, people in Nanchang would devote themselves to the recovery of their normal lives. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao’s punitive expedition was still on the way and Wang Yang-ming’s mental burden and suffering actually were still on the horizon.

(Translated by Cui Li; Proofread by Li Jiang-xia)

5.2 Enduring Humiliation

The troops from the North headed by Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai finally withdrew from Nanchang after Wang Yang-ming, his brilliant political savvy and his skillful archery. After a momentary relief, people in Nanchang would devote to yet far from over, for the Emperor still settled in Nanjing , bringing his punitive expedition in person. Therefore, this was actually the start of Wang’s humiliation.

In December, Zhang Yong arrived in Nanjing from Hangzhou , after escorting Zhu Chen-hao and other captives all the way. As was mentioned above, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao had demanded that Wang Yang-ming should release Zhu Chen-hao at Poyang Lake and let the Zhengde Emperor capture Zhu Chen-hao again. The troops headed by Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai who had arrived in advance were supposed to display the power of the Zhengde Emperor’s military force; however, Wang Yang-ming unexpectedly paid no attention to the official announcement in the name of Zhu Shou —the Mighty Punitive Expedition General Zhenguogong , and handed the captives to Zhang Yong in Hangzhou . What was more, the withdrawal of the Northern troops stimulated by Wang Yang-ming was also beyond their expectation. Now that Zhu Chen-hao was sent to Nanjing , it was impossible to send him back to Poyang Lake and here came the problem: How could the Emperor end his grand punitive expedition without any gains? Then a drama was performed in this way: Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao led his troops out of Nanjing a couple of miles further, organizing the imperial army into two queues of neatly dressed, powerful soldiers in glittering armor and waited for Zhu Chen-hao and other captives escorted by Zhang Yong . The Emperor himself couldn’t be more majestic-looking in his battle robe, riding on a horse with his sharp sword. On Zhang Yong’s arrival, the Emperor ordered Zhang to release the captives and then to boost his soldiers’ morale by capturing the fugitives again. Of course, you may guess what happened next. Without much difficulty, the fugitives were captured and thrown into prison vans again and were sent to Nanjing by the Emperor’s expedition.

After all this farce, Zhu Hou-zhao still felt that neither the fun nor the accomplishments were satisfying enough so he was unwilling to leave for Beijing . His intention was clear to his toadies, i.e., Zhang Zhong , Jiang Bin , and Xu Tai . What was more, they hated Wang Yang-ming as he deprived them of their opportunity to win honor by capturing Zhu Chen-hao . So they decided to bring a false charge against Wang Yang-ming by telling the Emperor that Wang was colluding with Zhu Chen-hao to plot another rebellion. The Emperor asked how they got to know that. Zhang Zhong replied that Wang dared not come if the Emperor called him in. Therefore, in the first lunar month of 1520 (the fifteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), the Emperor issued an imperial decree, demanding Wang Yang-ming call on him in Nanjing . Wang Yang-ming set off from Nanchang right after receiving the decree. Zhang Zhong had Wang held up in Wuhu ¹⁴ for half a month from the moment he was informed of Wangrial decree.

Wang Yang-ming was thus stuck in Wuhu in a dilemma full of indignation, but there was nobody to pour his heart out to. However, it was the natural surroundings with green mountains and clear water that recalled his old days of cultivating himself in Daoism . Consequently, he forgot all about government affairs and settled down in a humble hut in Mount Jiuhua ¹⁵ in Anhui Province, meditating quietly and cultivating himself peacefully day after day. Before long, Zhang Yong heard about Wangtith green mountains and clear water that recalled the Zhengde Emperor that Wang Yang-ming was really loyal to his sovereign and loved his country. How could Wang Yang-ming be a rebel? If such a faithful official were to be punished in this way by the government, nobody else would sacrifice his life for the country. Later, Zhang Yong told Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao where Wang Yang-ming was and how he was stuck in that situation. Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao sent someone to confirm it and based on the report the Emperor ordered Wang to return to Jiangxi Province .

On his way back to Jiangxi , after having had a detailed analysis and judgment, Wang Yang-ming was anxiety-ridden about the political situation then. In his view, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao was not only overindulgent in life and ignorant in political views, but was also close to vile characters that were all snakes with cunning tricks. At this time, the troops going out to battle for the Emperor’s punitive expedition were actually headed by Jiang Bin , a vile character. So, if Jiang was to hatch a sinister plot, the Zhengde Emperor would surely be in much greater danger of being seized by Jiang Bin than the threat from Zhu Chen-hao’s rebellion. Wang Yang-ming was torn with anxiety at the thought of this. In February 1520 (the fifteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), regardless of the rumors and frame-ups against him, Wang held a military review when he arrived in Jiujiang on his way back to Nanchang and made proper military preparations to protect the Zhengde Emperor . Actually, what Wang Yang-ming was worrying about turned out to be a fact. History recorded that later in June that year, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao was found to be missing on the night when he was traveling to Mount Niushou ¹⁶ near Nanjing . All his guards were greatly frightened and searched around for the whole night. Jiang Bin was said to mean to rebel at that very night.

In June that year, the situation turned more complex with the Zhengde Emperor and his troops stationed in Nanjing for a long time. Jiang Bin and Zhang Zhong made more rumors and frame-ups of Wang Yang-ming colluding with Zhu Chen-hao , Wang’s hoarding of Zhu Chen-hao’s possessions, even his rise in rebellion, and so on. However, on the other side, Wang Yang-ming, despite the villains’ suspicions, centralized the military forces in Ganzhou , which was near Nanchang , and reviewed and trained them in person. Jiang Bin and Zhang Zhong made more suspicions against him which had not been justified yet and his military training would be more likely to arouse suspicion. Soon after, Jiang Bin sent someone stealthily to spy on Wang’s acts. Thus, Wang’s students also persuaded him to go back to Nanchang so as to put himself out of suspicion and danger. However, Wang Yang-ming explained solemnly, Zhang Zhong made more suspicion and being cultivated with my students? I was able to keep myself in peace even in the face of danger while I was circling around those traitor ministers. What’s more, some great dangers are unavoidable. I care nothing because what I am doing now is reasonable.” The truth was that Wang Yang-ming did all of these military preparations to protect the Emperor from the mutinies of Jiang Bin and Zhang Zhong . Wang Yang-ming was afraid of nothing as he was perfectly open in all his actions.

The Emperor-ming was afraid of nothing as he waed for almost a year from August 1519 (the fourteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ) to July 1520 (the fifteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ). Although Zhu Chen-hao , the rebel, was already captured and in prison in Nanjing , the Emperor thought his accomplishments in the punitive expedition were not shown off to the public. Zhang Zhong , Jiang Bin, and Xu Tai would even have plotted to cover up the fact that it was Wang Yang-ming who captured Zhu Chen-hao and to have all the credit for themselves. However, Zhang Yong flatly said to the Emperor that it was unreasonable because Zhu Chen-hao had been captured obviously before the Emperor set off from Beijing . The public witnessed that it was Wang Yang-ming who escorted the captives all the way northward from Jiangxi Province to Zhejiang Province , so it was impossible to wipe out Wang’s achievements. Without other choices, the Emperor agreed and ordered Wang Yang-ming to submit a report reiterating how Zhu Chen-hao was captured. On July 17, Wang Yang-ming revised the previous memorial Memo on the Capture of Zhu Chen-hao he had submitted to the Imperial Court concerning the capture of Zhu Chen-hao 1 year before into a revised memorial Memo on the Emperor’s Punitive Expedition to Jiangxi in which he restated that his success in this capture was accredited to Emperor’s plot and to his joint efforts with Jiang Bin , Zhang Zhong , Xu Tai , and Zhang Yong . Then the Zhengde Emperor began to reconsider returning to Beijing after the report was received. It was understandable that Wang Yang-ming’s revised memorial was the very sign of Wang’s personal sacrifice for the country and his dignity even though he had to endure humiliation.

On the twelfth of the eighth leap month in 1520 (the fifteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao and his troops left Nanjing and arrived at Qing Jiangpu ¹⁷ in Huai Emperor, Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao and his troops left Nanjing and arrived at Qing Jiangpu understandable that was, for he had never tried this fun activity before. Unfortunately, the boat capsized and he fell into the water accidentally; since then he fell ill though he was rescued soon. They arrived in Tongzhou ¹⁸ near Beijing in October. In November, the Emperor arrested Lu Wan , the Shangshu of Bing Bu , and other rebels such as Qian Ning for their collusion with Zhu Chen-hao . On December 5, a decree was issued by the Emperor to order the death penalty for Zhu Chen-hao , and that his corpse be burned and remains be cast into the air. It is worth mentioning that the Emperor was supposed to follow the law and rituals instead of sentencing the death in such a hurry though Zhu Chen-hao deserved the death penalty. His ministers persuaded him to first escort the captives back to Beijing and then to hand them over to the Xing Bu according to judicial procedure. Moreover, it was the ritual to offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and ancestors and declare the sentence to the public before carrying out the death penalty. Why did the Emperor insist on executing death penalty in such a hurry? It was recorded in history that at that time, Jiang Bin still didn’t give up encouraging the Emperor to move forward to Xuanfu , Jiang Bin’s hometown which the Emperor took as “home for fun” and the Emperor even liked this idea very much, so he hastened to carry out the death penalty instead of going back to Beijing to execute Zhu Chen-hao and other rebels. However, the Emperor’s bad physical condition and fatigue prevented him from going to Xuanfu. They returned to Beijing with a grand victory ceremony celebrating the Zhengde Emperor’s return triumphant from the punitive expedition on December 10. The ceremony witnessed thousands of captives and their relatives standing shoulder to shoulder with white paper on their backs with their names and the skulls of those killed hung on bamboo poles one by one. The long line extended for miles. The Emperor was riding a horse in martial attire at the Zhengyang Gate ¹⁹ very arrogantly. He watched the sight for a long time before he returned to the Forbidden City .

In 1521 (the sixteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), Emperor Zhu Hou-zhao died in his Bao Fang (Leopard House) at a young age of 31, ending his ridiculous life. He assigned his cousin Zhu Hou-cong to inherit the throne as the Jiajing Emperor on his deathbed.

After the Jiajing Emperor succeeded to the throne, he had Jiang Bin and other vile characters executed, so it seemed that the Jiajing Emperor brought positive influences back to the Imperial Court . However, the rumors and frame-ups against Wang Yang-ming didn’t get justified. On June 16, 1521 (the sixteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), Wang Yang-ming received the decree from the Jiajing Emperor which ordered Wang to go to Beijing immediately to be called in by the Emperor and to be commended for his contributions in Jiangxi Province in the capture of Zhu Chen-hao and other rebels. Wang Yang-ming set off from Nanchang 4 days later. However, without expecting it, he was informed by another “days lathalfway that he needn without expecting i Was the Imperial Court so inconstant in decision-making, issuing an order in the morning and rescinding it in the evening? It turned out that some government officials were led to believe Jiang Bin ’ Estories against Wang Yang-ming and even that some brought a contemptible charge against Wang that he took action on his own to capture Zhu Chen-hao regardless of the imperial order. In this sense, Wang Yang-ming again became the victim of power play in the Imperial Court .

However, for Wang Yang-ming, in his mind , it was his true duty and responsibility to get the bandits under control in the borders of the four provinces, i.e., Jiangxi , Fujian , Huguang , and Guangdong , to put down the rebellion of Zhu Chen-hao and to take him as a captive. Therefore, he did not care about recognition from the Imperial Court at all nor had he regard for fame and honor, which were considered transient and unreliable just like clouds in the sky. Since Wang Yang-ming had experienced so many hardships and dangers in life, he became increasingly aware of his true mind which could give him true power. He believed that his future path out of his true mind must be positive and bright, the same as his world. The only depression in the bottom of his heart was his attachment to his family in his hometown. It had been 5 years since he left his hometown near Hangzhou in September 1516 (the eleventh year of the Zhengde Emperor ). In these 5 years, his beloved grandma Cen passed away and his father Wang Hua was aging. Actually, Wang Yang-ming submitted a written statement after he got the bandits under control in the borders of the four provinces, asking for permission from the Imperial Court to visit his family, but he failed four times. When he arrived in Hangzhou in 1520 on his way to escort the captive Zhu Chen-hao to the Zhengde Emperor , he did not go back home for urgent business, even though his hometown was just miles away. Therefore, he devoted himself to the nation and meanwhile he was filled with guilt for his family, especially to his grandma, whom he failed to accompany even in her last minute. This time when he was denied the chance to meet the Jiajing Emperor , he was delighted rather than resentful as he had arrived in Zhejiang Province . Therefore, he wrote a fifth letter, asking for permission to visit his family and he finally made it.

So in August 1521 (the sixteenth year of the Zhengde Emperor ), he returned home, saw his relatives, made sacrifices to his ancestors, and renovated the tombs of his ancestors in Yuyao , Zhejiang Province . In December, a decree from the Emperor was sent to celebrate his promotion to the Shangshu of Bing Bu , and Canzan Jinwu in Nanjing with the new title “Xinjian Bo,” so the decree did add some happy atmosphere to the Wang family on that day for that was his father’s birthday. However, after the decree had been announced to him and all the officials had gone away, his father Wang Hua said to him with worry and frowning, “When the Ning Wang rose in rebellion, I thought you were doomed to die; when you fought against Zhu Chen-hao face to face, I thought it hard for you to defeat him, but you won; when you were stuck in those rumors and frame-ups of Jiang Bin , I thought you were in extreme danger. However, now you survived, got promoted and reunited with us as well. This is our happiness while it’s also awful because it’s a mixed blessing.” After hearing all the talks, Wang Yang-ming knelt down before his father and promised, “I will definitely keep in mind what you have said today and never forget it!”

Their conversation moved all their friends and relatives present at the gathering. It is true that people usually stay strong-willed in face of trouble while riches and honors are likely to corrupt people. People will exert their efforts to change things for better in difficulty, while riches and honors may make people greedy or arrogant and stop at nothing. It is not easy to be a man, as Mencius described, whom neither riches nor honors can corrupt, neither poverty nor humbleness can strike, and neither threats nor forces can bend. Wang Hua was really a great father, instructive and influential, for he could keep himself detached and composed when his son got promoted.

Surely, Wang Yang-ming himself was stable in behavior and reliable in character even when he was promoted to a higher rank for his rich experiences and noble thoughts. However, one thing has to be pointed out that his rise in the official world did not mean that he was rehabilitated by the Imperial Court from the gang of Jiang Bin and Zhang Zhong’s gratuitous framing, nor did it mean that the Imperial Court already believed in him completely but was a plot to cover the power struggle from the public. The fact was that among all the officials who had fought with Wang Yang-ming against Zhu Chen-hao , only Wu Wen-ding , Magistrate of Ji’an Prefecture , Jiangxi , was later promoted to Fu-Du-Yushi . But all the other officials were either exiled or taken into custody instead of being honored, and thus it was evident that justice was not done. Therefore, Wang Yang-ming tried hard to resign his title “Xinjian Bo ,” for he did not see righteousness in the Imperial Court . On the tenth day of the first lunar month in 1522 (the first year of the Jiajing Emperor ), he listed the following four reasons in his statement for resignation:

• (1) Zhu Chen-haohis statement for resion had been lasting for almost 10 years, while his rise in rebellion was put down only within 10 days. This was aHeavens. Willns. This was atemenhuman ability. It is the first reason that I cannot accept the title though I appreciate Heaven’s help and do not want to claim the work of Heaven for myself.

• (2) The Imperial Court had long perceived Zhu Chen-hao’haconspiracy and had made assignments to certain officials to capture him. Now, none of them was granted a reward but only me. It is, in my opinion, unfair to cover up their share of contributions, which is the second reason.

• (3) Zhu Chen-hao only me. It is, in my opinion is being suppressed should be attributed to the concerted efforts of a lot of officials in Jiangxi Province. Obviously, I was not the only one to be given the credit. It is the third reason.

• (4) I have been fulfilling my duty as an official serving the Imperial Court. If I accepted the promotion, I would be taking entire possession of something not supposed to be mine and would be a person full of guilt. It is the fourth reason.

  Wang Yang-ming emphasized finally, “The greatest disaster is no more than greed for Heavene help; the greatest wickedness is no more than insulting the subordinate; and the greatest shame is no more than forgetting his own guilt.” In his explanation, he insisted that his resignation was not because he intended to refuse the honor granted by the Imperial Court , but because he wanted to avoid becoming an evil person with all the above four weak points.

Wang Yang-ming explained that the resignation was actually not only his strong protest against the unfair Imperial Court decisions, but also a reflection of his endurance of humiliation, whose rage at the humiliation at that time can still be felt today. Distress from the loss of his father in February caused a reoccurrence of Wang Yang-ming’s old disease. Thus, by rejecting all visitors, he mourned his father and meanwhile recovered himself at home. Later he received the reply from the Imperial Court in July, which stated that his resignation was denied since in the name of justice he should be praised and promoted for his devotion to the country and his achievements for the government. In Wang Yang-ming’s opinion, the so-called “justice” even irritated him because true justice had not been manifested. So he wrote his statement again in illness asking to resign the award of the new title. He expressed his indignation in the statement at the injustice done by the Imperial Court to the officials in Jiangxi who fought for the suppression of Zhu Chen-hao’s rebellion . In his statement, Wang Yang-ming revealed the fact that some imperial officials took the officials from Jiangxi into custody and tortured them severely. Even today we can feel his indignation in the statement though such kind of indignation was rarely found in his other works. However, his second statement was ignored by the Imperial Court.

Actually, evidence showed that the Imperial Court made a pretense to the public as it was two-sided: commending Wang Yang-ming’public as it wa and persecuting the officials who fought with him. What was more, the “certificate” and the “corresponding salary” that went with the new title “Xinjian Bo ” had never been given to Wang Yang-ming and thus it was only an empty promise. Wang Yang-ming during that period, though renowned far and wide, was actually unemployed at home, no different from any ordinary person.

At the time when Wang Yang-ming wrote his statement for resignation, another incident happened. Cheng Qi-chong , Yushi ²⁰ of Jiangxi Province , also wrote a statement to the Imperial Court , claiming that Wang Yang-ming was part of Zhu Chen-hao’s rise-up party. Cheng Qi-chong’s statement led to a heated debate, during which most officials argued for Wang Yang-ming’led to a heated debate, during which most officia in Wang Yang-ming’s view, there was no need to defend himself, for “silence will eventually stop slanders.” According to Wang, as long as one has confidence in his/her “true mind ” and sincere reflections on his/her behavior, and as long as what one has done is altruistic and promising, those rumors and frame-ups will reveal themselves to the public one day. This incident showed that some officials in the Imperial Court did everything possible to frame-up Wang Yang-ming for their jealousy of him. When it came to 1523 (the second year of the Jiajing Emperor ), some officials still criticized Wang Yang-ming’s theories as “a False Philosophy.” He was dauntless and still kept silent when his theories were attacked as “a False Philosophy.”

Giving lectures meant so much to Wang Yang-ming that he regarded it as the most meaningful thing in his life. Whether it was after his suppression of Zhu Chen-hao or it was when he dutifully handled various local military affairs in Jiangxi Province, he never stopped giving lectures in Nanchang and Ganzhou . After he went back to his hometown, he enjoyed sharing lectures with his students in the natural surroundings of bamboo or woods except for the mourning time for his father. Someone once remarked that Wang Yang-ming would be perfect without lectures. However, Wang himself would rather sacrifice all the other honors for the only pleasure in his life—giving lectures. For him, only when he was giving lectures could he enjoy his free journey in his “true mind.” Without doubt, his wisdom in thoughts was developed and broadened with his accumulation of experiences in life. Especially after he survived all the hardships and frame-ups after he had succeeded in the suppression of Zhu Chen-hao, he became better aware of the importance of his vived all.” Actually, in enduring humiliation, he better drew the essence of his thought from his awareness and submersion in the Enlightenment in Longchang as “Original Knowledge,” which perfected his philosophical ideas. Then what does his “Original Knowledge ” really mean?

(Translated by Ruan Zheng; Proofread by Xu Xue-ying)