Jiajing's "Yangtze and Yellow River" Theory: The Ruler Is the Mountain, the Ministers the Rivers

"They are your future masters, and I must set a good example for them."

"Have them remove the octagonal lotus platform from my study... and bring out the dragon throne."

However, looking at himself in the mirror, Jiajing seemed to remember something he had forgotten, and then uttered a sentence that left everyone bewildered:

"Go and find my dragon robe."

"--yes."

Jiajing's words left Huang Jin in a daze, but the moment he understood Jiajing's meaning, tears welled up in his eyes.

After Huang Jin searched through the robes, the dragon robe, which had been sealed away for more than twenty years, was finally found. With a turn of the camera, the black dragon robe, inlaid with gold and embroidered with mountains, rivers and clouds, symbolizing the heavy responsibility of the world, was finally worn once again by the king who could bear all of this.

Jiajing removed his Daoist robe and put on the dragon robe symbolizing the great land. At this moment, not a single official of the Great Yan Dynasty spoke out because of this breach of etiquette. On the contrary, regardless of their previous impressions of Jiajing, they were all extremely fortunate and gratified that this emperor, who had been absurd for more than twenty years, could once again shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country.

Even several veteran officials of the Great Yan, upon witnessing such a scene, couldn't help but shed tears, just like Huang Jin. In the drama, Jiajing, looking at this unfamiliar reflection in the mirror, asked the sobbing Huang Jin:

"... Isn't it ugly?"

"Your Majesty, it is—a sign of heaven and earth."

"Then why did you cry?"

"This subordinate is... delighted."

Everyone could understand Huang Jin's joy. No matter how many mistakes Jiajing had made in the past, he had finally returned as the emperor of the Great Yan, a father figure whom even Hai Rui had to praise during his early reign.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Jiajing himself had already prepared a eulogy for his own life:

"The gathering of three flowers at the crown is but an illusion, and soaring through the clouds beneath one's feet is not real either."

"... Let them in."

At this moment, Jiajing finally took a detached view of life and death and had an epiphany about the true "Tao". He had wanted to become a god all his life, but in the end, he did not complete the physical transformation. However, in his mind, he finally reached the state of "god".

Apart from Chen Qi, no one knows why Jiajing adhered to the principle of "two dragons not meeting" throughout his life. But now, Jiajing is willing to meet with his princes and grandsons, which is undoubtedly a huge change. The dying Jiajing no longer cares about the number of dragons meeting.

The fact that the Emperor of Great Yan himself, who played Prince Yu, and the child who played the future Wanli Emperor, both saw the Jiajing Emperor in his dragon robe explained the reason for this audience.

It turns out that they obtained a thousand-year-old alligator turtle from Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le, saying it was an auspicious omen from heaven, so they sent the alligator turtle to Jiajing.

However, the now perfectly clear-headed Jiajing knew perfectly well what auspicious omen from heaven? This alligator turtle was sent by Prince Yu to plead for Hai Rui, hoping that his father would not change his mind.

However, little did Prince Yu know that Jiajing, with his intelligence network, already knew they were coming to pay homage. His purpose this time was to have "three dragons under one roof" so that he could once again compete with Hai Rui!

Last time, Jiajing debated with Hai Rui on his own behalf and lost miserably. Now, having truly returned to the era of emperors, Jiajing wants to turn the tables and let Hai Rui know Jiajing true imperial mind.

Jiajing offered his grandson, Wanli, a way out: if he released the alligator snapping turtle, he would spare Hai Rui. Wanli readily agreed and, jumping for joy, personally released the turtle.

During this journey, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, finally makes a long-awaited appearance. This is also the first meeting between Hai Rui, the subject, and Wanli, the future emperor.

"You are Hai Rui?" The Little Wanli recognized Hai Rui at a glance, and Chen Huijie, who played Hai Rui, naturally recognized him from his attire as well, and immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness, I am Hai Rui."

However, as soon as Hai Rui said this, the Little Wanli immediately raised his little hand, pointed at Hai Rui, and said:

"How dare you! You actually dare to insult the Emperor!"

Faced with the Little Wanli's minor threat, Hai Rui displayed the same composure he had shown when debating with the Jiajing Emperor, speaking slowly and deliberately to the future monarch, "--It is for the sake of the future, so that no one will ever again criticize the Emperor."

It's unclear whether it was Hai Rui's words that resonated with the Little Wanli, or whether it was a test for him. At least Hai Rui's answer pleased him, and he leaned closer and whispered:

"I pleaded with the Emperor, and you have been pardoned. Once you're inside, you must give a proper reply."

"... Your Majesty, I thank you."

At this moment, not only Hai Rui, but also a group of officials from the Great Yan Dynasty watching from outside the screen were amazed by the Little Wanli's naive yet skillful use of both kindness and severity.

It's important to know that the Little Wanli in the drama is only three or four years old, and his speech isn't even very fluent yet, but he's already showing signs of imperial ambition. To the uninformed officials of the Great Yan, this future emperor is undoubtedly a "good grandson"!

"With such a grandson, the future of the Great Yan is assured."

"Yes, although Prince Yu is somewhat weak and in poor health, with such a grandson, the Great Yan dynasty can be secured."

"Is this what they mean by 'passing down the lineage'? It seems that Jiajing's talent has been passed down to this young grandson. Perhaps we will see a Jiajing who doesn't give up in the future."

However, the voices of the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty could not affect anything happening on camera. After tidying up his appearance, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, finally stepped into the residence.

Before her sat three emperors from the three dynasties of the Great Yan: Jiajing, Longqing (Prince Yu), and Wanli. The sheer majesty of the three emperors ruling together, even through the lens of the camera, was enough to make all the officials of the Great Yan feel an overwhelming sense of oppression.

In contrast, Chen Huijie, who plays Hai Rui, stands tall like a pine tree despite kneeling. Facing the overwhelming power of Wei Yenwu, the Emperor of Great Yan, and an unknown but rumored to be a member of the True Lung family, Chen Huijie shows no fear whatsoever.

On the contrary, she felt a very similar rhythm surging within her body, and the True Lung blood hidden within her now gave her an unprecedented sense of confidence.

Therefore, strictly speaking, this play is "Four Dragons Under One Roof". But without a doubt, Chen Huijie's portrayal of Hai Rui, who remained calm in the face of such a situation, truly demonstrated courage and integrity.

"--This person has a nickname, have you heard of it?"

At this moment, seeing that the three dragons' imposing presence still failed to subdue Hai Rui, Jiajing finally spoke first, delivering a decisive blow to Hai Rui, saying:

Her nickname was "Hai the Brush Rest."

"It was because she had once been an instructor that when her superiors arrived, the other two officials knelt on either side of her, but she stood and refused to kneel. Thus, she stood taller in the middle and shorter on the sides, resembling a pen holder, and that's how she earned this nickname."

"It's clear this person has always been prone to defying authority."

"Now look up and tell me what you see."

At Jiajing's prompting, Hai Rui finally looked at the three emperors. After a long while, she spoke with unwavering composure and reverence, word by word:

"Your Majesty, what I see is not a pen holder—but the character 'mountain' from the Great Yan Dynasty."

"The Emperor, the Princes, and the Crown Prince are the 'mountains' of the Great Yan Dynasty, while the officials and the people are the 'rivers' of the Great Yan Dynasty."

Chen Huijie recited her lines, which she knew by heart, one after another. Unbeknownst to her, her Originium Arts were being activated subtly and gradually. As a faint crimson aura began to emerge from her body, it was creating a strange resonance with the bloodlines of Wei Yenwu, the Great Yan Emperor, and others.

This scene immediately caught the attention of the Great Yan Emperor and Wei Yenwu present. This resonance conveyed Chen Huijie's sense of justice, original aspirations, and fortitude to them, surprising the two rulers while also giving rise to a strange thought...

The Great Yan Empire... perhaps now, it can be carried on by a successor.

PS: Second chapter today! (As usual, there will be another update tonight. My neck is so sore, my body is completely exhausted...)

Volume 1: Chapter 335: Jiajing's "Theory of the Yangtze River Yellow River": The ruler is the mountain, the subject is the river.

The argument that "the ruler is a mountain, and the ministers and the people are a river" is somewhat reminiscent of the proverb "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

"But... to say such things in front of Emperor Jiajing, this Hai Rui truly embodies integrity to the very end."

Some things are unspoken rules, and some words can only be uttered by people of a certain status. For example, if a Hai Rui were to utter words like "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it," it would be a warning to future generations to treat the people kindly.

However, if these words come from the mouths of officials or common people, they are entirely a threat and an intention to rebel. And either of these two crimes, if attached to them, would be a capital offense, and could even lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

However, now, thanks to Li Shizhen's medicine, Jiajing, who was experiencing a brief resurgence of his health, was not at all annoyed by Hai Rui's words, a stark contrast to his behavior in the imperial prison.

"Seemingly true, yet not quite." At this moment, sensing the rhythm of the True Lung blood within Chen Huijie's body, Wei Yenwu maintained a state of undisguised joy—he knew that this was the last thing he could do to interrupt Chen Huijie. Whether she could unleash her full potential and become a true dragon among men might depend on this opportunity!

Although Wei Yenwu did not think that Chen Huijie had the potential to inherit the throne, nor did he think she was suitable to be emperor, he was too straightforward and not afraid of powerful people. If she became emperor, she would probably have to argue with the ministers frequently. If she could keep the ministers in check, that would be fine, but if she couldn't, it would be dangerous.

Even so, given time, Chen Huijie could certainly become a meticulous "Hai Rui" or a general guarding the border. If he could unleash the potential of such a talented individual who excels in both literature and military affairs for the Great Yan... then Wei Yenwu could rest assured.

Therefore, in this scene, the brothers' aura absolutely cannot be inferior in the slightest. After a brief exchange of glances, Wei Yenwu and the Great Yan Emperor immediately understood each other's meaning. Wei Yenwu, now displaying undiminished True Lung might, continued:

So many events have occurred, from the rise and fall of dynasties, so many that they flow endlessly like the Yangtze River.

"With your limited knowledge, having read some high-level lectures and studied some School of Principle texts from your hometown, you presume to talk about world affairs and offer advice on the state of the nation?"

"Your analogy is inappropriate, not just in your memorial. In your memorial, you presumptuously speak of the wise and virtuous rulers of our Great Yan Dynasty... I ask you, if the ruler is a mountain, which of these sage rulers and virtuous monarchs you speak of still exists?"

"Your Majesty, they are all here."

However, faced with the aggressive demeanor of Jiajing, played by Wei Yenwu, Chen Huijie, who plays Hai Rui, showed no sign of being overwhelmed. Instead, she responded with even greater confidence:

"In history books, in people's hearts."

After these words were spoken, a silence fell over the hall. Faced with Hai Rui's righteous argument, Jiajing had nothing more to refute.

Throughout history, no matter how emperors were evaluated during their own reigns, future generations will judge them not only by the people of their time but also by those of posterity. History will naturally give Jiajing a fair assessment, and posterity will judge what kind of emperor he truly was.

Now, everything Jiajing is doing is an attempt to make amends. He is trying to rectify his mistakes at the end of his life, to prove his abilities, and to demonstrate his desire to be a wise ruler after his sudden awakening.

Even with only two hours left to live, he still wanted to leave a good impression on the princes, grandsons, and ministers like Hai Rui. With this in mind, he finally uttered his masterful art of imperial strategy.

"Prince Yu, Crown Prince—you must remember this."

"The so-called 'empire' refers to a nominal empire, not a literal one. This is why I want you to remember this."

"If you are not a mountain, then your subjects are not a river. The ancients called the Yangtze River 'Jiang' and the Yellow River 'He'; Yangtze River's water is clear, the Yellow River's water is muddy; the Yangtze River flows, and so does the Yellow River."

An old proverb says, "When a sage appears, the Yellow River runs clear." But when has the Yellow River ever run clear?

The waters of the Yangtze River irrigate the fields of several provinces on both banks, and the waters of the Yellow River also irrigate the fields of several provinces on both banks.

"One should not favor certain methods just because the water is clear, nor should one abandon certain methods just because the water is murky. This has always been the case."

At this moment, Jiajing's words on camera brought the officials of the Great Yan back to their senses. The next moment, when everyone realized that this was a true display of Jiajing's imperial cunning, they all took out their paper and pens and began to record everything Jiajing said.

All the emperors of the Great Yan, whether they spoke righteous arguments or used sophistry, had to leave their words for posterity to judge and learn from. This was the first time that the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty began to record the words of the Jiajing Emperor.

The actions of the officials can be seen as a form of approval. They now know that there may be such a ruler in the future, even if this ruler was suspicious and greedy in the past. But now that he has come to his senses, he is willing to pass on his imperial strategies to future generations. Therefore, he can be considered a ruler worthy of recognition.

"Jiajing... He's using the waters of rivers to symbolize the former Yan Faction and the current Purists faction."

At this moment, even Talulah understood that the Yangtze River and the Yellow River mentioned by Jiajing in the drama were the two factions in his court, or two different types of officials, such as Yan Song and Xu Jie, which were officials who "seeked wealth" and "seeked fame".

For Jiajing, whether a minister was treacherous or virtuous, he had to use them as long as he could control them. Just as he could not abandon the Yangtze River and Yellow River, these two rivers may have their own merits, but as long as they both shoulder heavy responsibilities, their existence is necessary.

"This Hai Rui doesn't understand this principle. In his memorial, he advised me to use only the Yangtze River and abandon the Yellow River. How could I accept that?"

"Conversely, once the Yellow River overflows, it needs to be controlled. This is why I dismissed Yan Song and executed Yan Shifan and others."

"Conversely, if the Yangtze River overflows, I will also need to manage it. This is why I dismissed Yang Tinghe and Xia Yan, and executed Yang Jisheng, Shen Lian, and others."

"Take Hai Rui, for example." At this moment, Jiajing finally turned his attention to Hai Rui, who was standing there dumbfounded, unsure how to answer, and said, word by word:

"Those who consider themselves Purists, comparing their ruler and father to a mountain, find their waters overflowing the mountaintop—this is utter flooding!"

"I know you're determined to have me kill you, so you can leave your name in history and in people's hearts, while I'll be branded as someone who killed a man of Purists. Such a Purists... must be killed!"

In a short while, Jiajing's voice echoed slowly within the Palace of Jade Splendor, like a deity from heaven. Only then did Jiajing reveal his imperial strategies and his understanding of the "art of checks and balances" for posterity.

This explanation finally provided an explanation for all of Jiajing's previous actions.

Why did he knowingly condone the Yan Faction's wrongdoings, even giving them several opportunities, only to ultimately choose to abolish the Yan Faction? And why did he promote Zhao Zhenji, and why did he constantly sow discord within the Purists faction?

All of this points to one thing—the art of being a ruler. This was the method that Jiajing followed throughout his life. Although he ultimately failed in his efforts to maintain balance of power and reversed the essentials of balance, he now has a sudden realization and still firmly believes that passing on these principles of being a ruler to future emperors will surely be of great use.

Emperor Jiajing was exceptionally intelligent; even after twenty years of absurd rule, he still managed to control every minister under his command. But if later emperors lacked his talent and power, how could they possibly maintain control of the Great Yan Dynasty?

"... Brother, tell me, I'm starting to think that Jiajing's fallacies actually have some merit. Am I being influenced by him?"

At this moment, although she didn't understand what imperial tactics were, listening to Jiajing's sophistry in the drama, Xi vaguely felt that from Jiajing's perspective, his actions did not seem wrong.

However, reason tells Xi that the current state of the Great Yan Dynasty, riddled with problems, is all due to Jiajing's mistakes. But how could such seemingly reasonable imperial tactics have turned out this way?

"... Jiajing was not wrong, Hai Rui was even less wrong; the only mistake was in the way the people used him."

However, at this moment, Chongyue also understood everything that Jiajing wanted to express. What Jiajing was talking about was the imperial strategy of protecting the interests of the emperor, the strategy of checks and balances to prevent the emperor from being overthrown by powerful ministers, or forced to abdicate by officials, and to ensure that power was firmly in the emperor's own hands.

Everything Hai Rui said was aimed at making the Great Yan Dynasty prioritize the people, but at this moment, the interests of the people and the emperor clashed. Because the people are always the same people, but the abilities of emperors vary greatly, and different emperors use them in very different ways.

"From their own perspectives, neither Jiajing nor Hai Rui were wrong. But who can judge all of this? Even thousands of years later, different people looking at the same issue from their own angles will arrive at different conclusions."

Therefore, there is no absolute right or wrong. But at least from the perspective of ordinary people, we should uphold officials like Hai Rui, and not accept emperors like Jiajing.

After a long silence, Chongyue finally expressed his understanding. Chongyue felt that some things could be understood, but understanding and forgiveness were different. No one could forgive Jiajing's actions on behalf of the people of Great Yan, and no one could forgive the Yan Faction and corrupt officials who had killed countless people.

Just like the Jiajing Emperor, everything Jiajing did was to maintain his status and power, which was not wrong from the perspective of an emperor, but all of this came at the cost of innocent people suffering.

Even if such a monarch's imperial strategies are not entirely wrong, the monarch's actions themselves are still wrong.

"But... after all this has been said, it is enough to prove that governing a country is not something that can be achieved simply by having more people like Hai Rui. Everything needs to be harmonized, and everything... needs to be balanced."

Chongyue pondered for a long time but could not come up with a good solution. For him, "governing the country" was no longer within his scope of consideration. It was not something that one could understand more clearly simply by living longer. This can be seen from the fact that so many wise rulers in history lived too long and eventually became incompetent rulers.

This is a path that even the most wise ruler must explore and control himself. Chongyue doesn't know the answer, Chen Qi, who wrote this drama, probably doesn't know the answer either; these are not things they should be thinking about.

Back in the drama, Jiajing has already made his stance clear. Although he said he would definitely kill Hai Rui, he also let him live past the end of the year. Considering that his days are numbered, it is clear that he intends to leave Hai Rui to his son, Prince Yu.

The Jiajing Emperor's reputation was beyond repair, but he could leave a Blades for his children and grandchildren, enabling them to revive the Great Yan and earn a good reputation through Hai Rui.

"Take Hai Rui back with you."

At Jiajing's command, escorted by Chen Hong and others, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, once again left Palace of Jade Splendor as a disgraced official. At this moment, the Little Wanli watched Hai Rui's departing figure, not fully understanding his grandfather's words, and still thought that Jiajing wanted to kill Hai Rui.

Although young, the young Little Wanli Emperor already possessed the air of an emperor and naturally understood good and evil. With the mind of a child, he only knew that Hai Rui in front of him was a good person, but his own grandfather wanted to kill him.

Seeing this, Jiajing was no exception. Instead, he asked the Little Wanli, "... Are you trying to say that your grandfather didn't keep his word?"