Xu Jie's Classic "Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law" Argument, and Jiajing's Enlightenment / Jiajing Reclaims His Role as a True Ruler and His Final Discourse with Hai Rui

However, apart from Chen Qi and the main actors, no one knew what would happen next. They didn't know that Hai Rui was saved, and that Jiajing had indeed come to his senses... but Jiajing's awakening came far too late.

This will be the king's final performance. Having suddenly realized his mistakes, he is about to take his final bow on this stage. His life's merits and demerits will be left for posterity to judge...

PS: Chapter 3 today! (Finally finished writing the last chapter. I'll try my best to finish "The Great Ming Dynasty" tomorrow so everyone can read it all at once. Waaaaah, I'm so tired, but I'll give it my all one last time.)

I'm reading a friend's new book, "Love Begins with an Evil Simulator".

Synopsis: Transmigrating to various anime worlds, Makoto Hanyu awakens the [Evil Life Simulator].

In the simulator, he plays one villain after another.

"Classmate Kaguya, you don't want the Shinomiya Family to be destroyed, do you?"

"Bocchi-chan, you don't want the band to break up, do you?"

"Upperclassman Mai, you don't want to continue being invisible, do you?"

"..."

Just as Makoto Hanyu thought it was just a simulator and was having a great time, Kaguya Shinomiya appeared in front of him with a sickly smile on her pretty face.

"Mr. Hanyu, you don't want people to know about the bad things you've done, do you?"

Makoto Hanyu: Wait, isn't that a simulation game?

Volume 1: Chapter 333: Xu Jie's classic "Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Theory," Jiajing's Awakening

In the drama, Xu Jie and others also realized that Jiajing did not really want to kill Hai Rui, but Jiajing was unwilling to admit his mistake and did not want more people to follow Hai Rui's example in the future, thus threatening the imperial power. Therefore, how Xu Jie and others pleaded for Hai Rui became the key to making Jiajing save face.

Xu Jie and others put in a lot of Kung Fu Hustle for this, with Xu Jie personally selecting two memorials as key tools for pleading for Hai Rui.

One of the memorials came from Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le. In the drama, Gao Hanwen married Yun Niang, who was originally a courtesan. Unable to return to his hometown and unable to serve as an official, he was eventually persuaded by the Prince Yu's Consort to go into the cotton cloth business. Soon, with the help of Yun Niang's connections with Shen Yishi and Gao Hanwen's own abilities, he quickly brought in one to two million taels of silver for the national treasury.

Gao Hanwen, who investigated and prosecuted Shen Yishi in Zhe City, has become a second Shen Yishi. However, he has learned from Shen Yishi's mistakes and should not follow Shen Yishi's old path in the future.

The second memorial concerned Hai Rui, or more precisely, Hai Rui's family.

In the drama, considering the gender of actress Chen Huijie, Chen Qi made some modifications to Hai Rui's family. Hai Rui's mother is still the undisputed head of the family, while Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, is a girl, but because she is extremely capable and ambitious, even with the patriarchal mindset, Hai Rui's mother always treats her like a boy.

Hai Rui also had a younger brother, whose wife took the place of Hai Rui's wife in the original drama. However, because the younger brother was honest and simple and didn't amount to much, and because the younger brother and his wife couldn't have a son, Hai Rui's mother didn't treat his sister-in-law well. It was only with Li Shizhen's help that his sister-in-law finally became pregnant again.

In the drama, during Hai Rui's tenure as an official, his younger brother and sister-in-law's only daughter Little A-Nan, drowned while playing with other children. Her father jumped into the water to save her, but there were too many children, and despite their efforts, they couldn't save her and drowned as well.

After this incident, my sister-in-law suffered great psychological trauma and fell ill. Now, news has finally come that she has recovered.

"Hai Rui's mother and sister-in-law were preparing to cross the sea back to their hometown in the south, but Hai Rui's sister-in-law was pregnant and went into labor during the journey, suffering a difficult childbirth. Hai Rui was a criminal, the government, according to court regulations, could not send her a doctor."

"Hai Rui's sister-in-law stayed at the post station for three days, but she couldn't give birth, and neither she nor her child survived."

Xu Jie, played by the Grand Tutor, read the memorial aloud with a heavy heart to the ailing Jiajing. At this moment, not only he felt heavy-hearted, but also Jiajing himself, and everyone watching this scene.

"... Such a loyal and virtuous person, yet he was cursed by the king for being unfilial and without a ruler, and now his family is destroyed... How unjust the world is."

At this moment, even Chongyue, who had witnessed countless joys and sorrows and believed himself to have a clear understanding of life and Chongyue, couldn't help but be moved. Meanwhile, Jiajing, who already held Hai Rui in high regard, perhaps sensing the approach of his own life, felt a pang of grief upon hearing this news and softly said:

"Huang Jin... offer three sticks of incense."

"Yes."

On the other side, Huang Jin, who had just been pardoned by Jiajing and released from prison, and whose leg had been crippled by Chen Hong, immediately did as Jiajing wished. This was Jiajing's last bit of solace for his conscience.

Meanwhile, Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, was fanning the flames from the sidelines, completely unaware that Jiajing's actions had subtly confirmed that he no longer intended to kill Hai Rui. He said:

"Hai Rui's family had only one son for three generations. Now, his sister-in-law has a child at fifty, but his wife and child are all dead. This is all because she was disloyal to her country and family. This is Heaven's retribution for her."

However, Chen Hong never expected that her words would ultimately become a way for Jiajing to save face. After that, Jiajing finally put the checkmark on the list of those to be executed for Hai Rui, but sent the lame Huang Jin to deliver the decree to the prison.

Now, only 45 minutes remain until the day Hai Rui is to be executed. The distance from Western Garden to the prison is quite far; even those with good legs but no means of transportation can only barely make it there. If the execution is missed at noon on the autumnal equinox, Hai Rui will certainly not die this year.

"Chen Hong just said... Hai Rui's sister-in-law died in childbirth, which was divine retribution."

"Since Heaven has already brought retribution... I will accept Heaven's will."

With this, Jiajing clearly made his decision—he would not kill Hai Rui; he had truly been persuaded by Hai Rui.

Immediately, along with the characters in the drama who understood Jiajing's Qi Dazhu and expressed their gratitude, and Hai Rui, who was in prison and had not been executed after noon, weeping bitterly, and Wang Yongji, who was overjoyed, the officials of the Great Yan outside the screen also finally burst into a joyful cheer!

Finally! The Emperor Jiajing was persuaded! At least he didn't stubbornly persist to the end!

"Hahaha! This Jiajing has finally been wise for once!"

"Jiajing has finally realized the truth! He can finally give Hai Rui a proper role! The Great Yan can be restored! We've finally waited for this moment!"

When the officials of the Great Yan saw Hai Rui finally escape calamity and Jiajing finally admit defeat and realize his mistake, they could no longer contain their excitement. Some of the older officials even wiped away tears with their sleeves, weeping with joy at this scene.

Now, almost all the officials of the Great Yan are certain that the Great Yan depicted in the drama is the Great Yan of the future. Originally, facing such a future, each of them felt heavy-hearted. Seeing the Great Yan in the drama, ravaged and devastated, they considered themselves loyal subjects of the Great Yan. How could they not be heartbroken to see the Great Yan in such a state?

Now, Jiajing has realized that Hai Rui can live. It's as if a ray of light has finally appeared in the darkness of the Great Yan's future. They have seen the hope for the Great Yan's revival and the future of their descendants after the Darkest Hour!

Jiajing realized that with his talent, as long as it was used for the right purpose, he would surely be able to achieve great things! And Hai Rui, this sharp Blades, could finally help him eliminate all his concerns and create a new era of prosperity for the Great Yan Dynasty!

Yes, it will definitely happen. All the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty were willing to believe this. But at this moment, the next shot focused on Jiajing, played by Wei Yenwu, with his extremely haggard face.

At this moment, the previously excited officials fell silent... At this moment, everyone could see that Wei Yenwu, who played Jiajing, was in a very bad state. A lonely and sad expression lingered on his face, and what was even more striking was the dragon scales on his body.

Several months have passed in the drama. After suffering a blow, Jiajing's physical condition has deteriorated significantly. The dragon scales have now spread to Jiajing's face, covering half of it, which shows how bad his condition is and how little time he has left.

In the Palace of Jade Splendor, only Jiajing and Xu Jie, played by the Grand Tutor, remained. At this moment, Jiajing appeared more vulnerable than ever before, having lost much of his imperial aura; he resembled nothing more than a dying old man. Finally, he asked Xu Jie:

"Grand Secretary Xu... I have been on the throne for so many years, and I have made so many mistakes... Why is it that none of you dared to offer your advice?"

This is the first time in the entire series that Jiajing admits he was wrong. And as soon as he said this, everyone understood Jiajing's state of mind and what he was thinking.

When a person is about to die, their words are good. Everything Jiajing is saying now is his repentance after a profound realization... He has finally faced his problems and realized the absurdity of his actions.

Becoming a god... How can a mortal become a god? In the end, Jiajing himself knew he couldn't succeed, but his escapism and inaction had now been exposed by Hai Rui. He could no longer deceive himself, nor could he evade responsibility. But now that he was about to die, what courage did he have to face it?

At this moment, facing Jiajing, Xu Jie, played by the Grand Tutor, remained extremely cautious. He feared this was yet another test from Jiajing, and so he said:

"Your Majesty has his own difficulties. There is no such thing as a ruler who is not good. We, your subjects, will only do our duty and cannot shift the blame onto Your Majesty."

"So many grievances, so many difficulties... Oh dear... how did you all get through it?"

However, Jiajing was well aware of Xu Jie's caution, but at this moment he no longer had the energy to continue pretending, and for the first time he truly understood the difficulties of his ministers.

The Jiajing once made his ministers "reluctantly" work alongside him. But in the end, he only knew their hardships, not how they managed. Looking back now, he probably felt that the officials serving under him must have had a truly difficult time.

Faced with Jiajing's unprecedented words, Xu Jie's concerns lessened somewhat, but he still replied respectfully, "Just two words: 'respect' and 'sincerity.' That's all there is to it."

"--This is a profound truth."

When Jiajing saw that Xu Jie, the Grand Secretariat Secretary, was still wary, he couldn't help but feel a deep sadness... He knew that he had brought all of this upon himself, but at this moment, all the sick emperor wanted was to eliminate the loneliness in his heart.

"Sometimes, grand principles don't work... Like Hai Rui, let's speak our minds honestly... huh?"

"... Since Your Majesty has asked me this, I can only say something that is not very appropriate."

Finally, the Grand Tutor, who was playing Xu Jie, looked at the fragile Wei Yenwu in front of him. Although he knew it was acting, seeing this child he had watched grow up, now so weak, and only wanting to hear some heartfelt words before he died, his tone became more moved and sincere.

"Our dynasty governs the world with 'filial piety,' making the world one family. The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Great Yan Dynasty, with its hundreds of millions of people, are like the children of this family."

"His Majesty is the patriarch of this family, and we, your subjects... are the daughters-in-law in the middle."

"Do everything according to the duties of a daughter-in-law—endure what you can, conceal what you should conceal, and try your best to take care of both sides."

"If we really can't take care of them anymore... then we have no choice but to sacrifice our children and grandchildren, but we can't sacrifice our parents-in-law."

Without a doubt, this is utter nonsense. It's merely a more literary metaphor for "flattering superiors and bullying inferiors." Xu Jie's words make no sense, but they are enough to summarize the current state and ills of the Great Yan Dynasty.

This is the current state of the Great Yan Dynasty in the drama, but isn't it also the reality of the Great Yan Dynasty in fact?

Xu Jie's words caused all the officials of the Great Yan court to lower their heads in silence. They knew that the Grand Tutor was right; wasn't this scene in the drama a reflection of that very moment? Had they truly never engaged in whitewashing? Had they truly handled all the grievances of their people properly?

As an official, one must ultimately care for the people and the emperor, but in the end, who should one care for? Everyone in high positions today understands in their hearts who they have served to reach their current status.

However, at the same time, Talulah, who had previously only a vague understanding of "The Great Yan Dynasty," suddenly seemed to grasp something and couldn't help but tug at Chen Qi's sleeve beside her, asking:

"Chen Qi... Did you design Hai Rui's family like this to allude to the symptoms of the Great Yan through Hai Rui's family?"

At this moment, Talulah looked directly at Chen Qi's surprised expression, as if he had discovered a new species, and continued, "In Hai Rui's family, Hai Rui's mother is also the head of the household, not allowing her sister-in-law to contradict her, much less allowing anyone to question her."

"Isn't Hai Rui's mother's behavior a bit like a mini -Jiajing? And Hai Rui is the one caught between his sister-in-law and niece. She is also trying her best to take care of both sides, but she can only take care of her mother and can't take care of her sister-in-law and niece at all."

"Now, Hai Rui's family is ruined and he is dead, just like the devastated Great Yan!"

However, Talulah's words immediately drew the attention of the officials of the Great Yan, as well as many people around her who had not thought of this aspect—this was a question they had indeed not considered!

"The fact that you can see this layer means you've grasped the essence of 'The Great Yan Dynasty,' Talulah."

At this moment, Chen Qi couldn't help but rub Talulah's cheek. He really didn't expect that, facing this drama that everyone would find confusing on the first viewing, Talulah would once again see through the essence of the drama at a glance and interpret the profound meaning that many people had not noticed.

Yes, Hai Rui was a microcosm of the Great Yan, and also a microcosm of the Jiajing. This will only become more apparent later on.

In the current drama, Jiajing, upon hearing this, is equally grief-stricken and cannot help but say sadly:

"Hai Rui also said in his memorial...'The world belongs to Your Majesty, and there is no one who does not care about their own family.'"

"His advice is... that I have failed to manage this household well, and that I have failed to be a good ruler and father."

"I understand now. I am old... and seriously ill. I can no longer manage this family, even if I wanted to pull myself together."

At this moment, a tear of regret finally welled up in Jiajing's eyes. This emperor, who had lived a foolish life and was awakened by Hai Rui's cold water, finally repented... but now he was powerless and wanted to leave something for his descendants, but he had nothing to leave.

"Xu Jie... These days, I've been thinking—should I abdicate and let Prince Yu succeed me?"

However, upon hearing Jiajing's words, Xu Jie was startled and quickly tried to dissuade Jiajing.

Undoubtedly, if Jiajing had abdicated at that time, Hai Rui's memorial would have been effective, but it would also have undoubtedly made him the culprit who caused his father to die of guilt. Hai Rui wanted to wake Jiajing up, not kill Jiajing. The former was a loyal minister's remonstrance, while the latter was that of a truly disrespectful madman who had no father or emperor; their natures were completely different.

"As Hai Rui stated in his memorial, Your Majesty possesses exceptional talent and wisdom, comparable to any wise ruler throughout the history of the Great Yan Dynasty!"

"Now, the Great Yan is recovering from all its setbacks, all depending on Your Majesty's efforts. Your Majesty's great talent and strategic vision have aweeded all the officials in the land. If you were to abdicate now, the world would be shocked, Prince Yu would surely be at a loss, finding himself in a dilemma."

"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to take good care of your health, and then return to the palace to resume court, revitalize all neglected matters and eliminate all abuses. Then, the glorious revival of our Great Yan can be expected. For thousands of years to come, when this legacy is passed down to your descendants, the dynasty and the world will be blessed."

At this moment, Xu Jie, played by the Grand Tutor, spoke the unspoken thoughts of countless officials of the Great Yan towards Emperor Jiajing. However, under the expectant gazes of everyone, only the eyes of the disheartened Jiajing slowly began to gleam with hope and life once more...

He wanted to live, he wanted to leave something for his descendants, and he hoped that history would not only describe him as a tyrannical ruler. At this moment, Jiajing was filled with an unprecedented will to live, and his previously dissipated imperial might was once again gathered.

"The medicine that Xu Jie — Li Shizhen prescribed for me—is in that cabinet over there."

"Huang Jin is not here, so you brew some for me in his place."

The Jiajing, who aspired to become Feranmut, spent half his life doing pointless and absurd things. But now, his will to survive and his hope have allowed him to once again reclaim his status as a ruler and the majesty of True Lung.

Only now has the image of Emperor Jiajing finally become fully formed: an emperor who regrets his actions too late and is finally going to do his best to do something for his people and descendants.

PS: First chapter today!

Volume 1: Chapter 334: Jiajing Returns to the Throne, His Final Discussion with Hai Rui

"A dying man's words are often good. The power that an emperor can unleash on his deathbed... will be beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."

At this moment, watching Wei Yenwu's portrayal of Jiajing in the drama, finally revealing the true bearing of a ruler Chongyue, who had always been wary of Jiajing, couldn't help but feel impressed by the monarchical aura that Jiajing was now displaying.

Chongyue never had a good impression of Jiajing. He was wary of Jiajing because of his ambition, while he despised Jiajing because he had such talent, but instead of focusing his energy on national affairs, making the people feel the emperor's favor, and gaining the trust of his ministers, Jiajing led the way in corrupting the atmosphere of the Great Yan officialdom, leaving the Great Yan riddled with problems and causing so many people and soldiers to die in vain.

But now, the awakened Jiajing's enlightenment has once again changed the image of this emperor in Chongyue's mind.

Now, Chongyue felt as if, over a long period of time, he had truly come to understand a monarch from beginning to end—a complex, contradictory, and suspicious monarch, yet so real, a monarch with flesh and blood.

This person cannot be categorized as either a wise or foolish ruler in history books. He was a very unique and memorable emperor. So much so that despite all the mistakes he made and the disappointment he caused the people, Chongyue still retains a deep impression of him that does not match his achievements.

"I'm afraid that no matter how much time passes, I will always keep the Emperor Jiajing in a corner of my memory... There are just too many contradictions about him that we Feranmut cannot comprehend."

"The contradictions of human nature! I never imagined that in a monarch who is so far removed from 'humanity,' we could taste so much of the warmth and humanity of everyday life." Ling understood Chongyue's meaning; she felt the same way. Jiajing truly provided them, these Feranmut, with an excellent example. The complexity of humanity was vividly displayed in him.

"I'm ashamed to say, even if I were to be inspired to write poetry now, and drink a few jugs of fine wine, I still couldn't come up with a single line of poetry to serve as a eulogy for this emperor." Ling pondered for a long time, unsure how to evaluate the Emperor Jiajing. Her beautiful, half-drunk eyes involuntarily fell upon the back of Chen Qi, who was watching everything from a short distance away, and she chuckled softly:

"Even if I saw it with my own eyes and spent many years with this king, I probably wouldn't understand it as clearly as he did... Even if I saw it and then recounted it, it wouldn't be enough to describe this complex king."

"No wonder Nianmei and Ximei are so fascinated... they've both fallen into the 'play' too."

Ling sighed, then took another swig of his drink and focused his attention back on the screen.

At this moment, under Huang Jin's care, Jiajing had already drunk a bowl of medicine. After drinking the medicine, the dragon scales on Wei Yenwu's face receded rapidly at a visible speed, eventually barely disappearing below his neck and being covered by Jiajing's clothes.

Such a potent medicine has brought Jiajing his current seemingly robust spirit. But such a useful medicine undoubtedly comes at a price... This may be Jiajing's last shot of adrenaline, and his last life-saving pill.

And Jiajing's undisguised dragon claw was slowly concealed by a white glove. At this moment, Jiajing finally spoke:

"Help me up and comb my hair."

"Your Majesty, seeing your own sons and grandsons, who are not outsiders, you should just lie in bed." Huang Jin, played by Tai He, clearly understood that this was Jiajing's last gasp of lucidity, yet she still felt sorry for her emperor. In response, Jiajing, shedding his usual imperial majesty, simply said lightly: