Zhang Juzheng · Mulan Song

Author: Xiong Ruzheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: This book consists of four volumes: Volume 1 · Mulan Song, Volume 2 · Shuilongyin, Volume 3 · Jinluqu, Volume 4 · Huofenghuang
Jin Yong: I Read Zhang Juzheng
I often read serialized novels, especially those with strong storytelling, such as traditional Chinese historical serials, with great eagerness to see them first. Xiong Zhaozheng’s recent work, Zhang Juzheng, is one such novel. This massive historical novel was published by Hong Kong Mingbao Press (the simplified-character edition of the four-volume historical novel Zhang Juzheng was simultaneously published in mainland China by Yangtze River Literature and Art Press, and was later renamed The Biography of Zhang Juzheng when published in Hong Kong). Due to my historical relationship with this publisher, I had a small "privilege"—before Zhang Juzheng was available on the market, I was able to obtain a copy and read it with great enjoyment. I have a principle when it comes to any privilege: "This privilege must never hinder or infringe upon anyone else’s interests." Reading Zhang Juzheng first would not cause the book to sell out, nor would it deprive any reader of the joy of seeing it first. If any privilege violates this principle, I refuse to use it, because it is the kind of "arrogant behavior" and "bullying" that Zhang Juzheng himself strongly opposed and fought against throughout his life. I myself deeply despise such behavior.
Several years ago, a friend praised me in a small column in a newspaper for a small act: We went together to visit a book fair in Hong Kong, and there was a long line to enter. After waiting for a long time, we still hadn’t gotten in. I said, "Let’s not queue anymore. We’ll come back in a couple of days when the line is shorter." My friend asked why I didn’t use my "privilege," as I was the owner of the publishing house participating in the fair and had the right to skip the line. I replied that if I didn’t queue and went in early, it would be unfair to someone else who would be left out. I believe that disrupting others’ privileges is unacceptable.
This was a very small matter, hardly worth mentioning, and not something to be proud of. However, I think this sense of "fairness" and "anti-privilege" should apply to all aspects of society.
Zhang Juzheng’s "governance" was essentially about "being upright." When Zhu Rongji took office as Premier of the State Council, he emphasized that his job was full of challenges and that he knew there were landmines ahead, but for the sake of the work, he should not fear sacrifice and step forward. When Wen Jiabao was elected as Premier at the National People’s Congress, he said he would remember two phrases as his guiding principles for his work: "For the sake of the nation, life and death are nothing; why avoid misfortune or seek fortune?" These couplets were written by Lin Zexu, meaning that as long as something was beneficial to the nation, one must dedicate oneself wholeheartedly, without concerning personal life, honor, success, or failure. I believe that citizens of a country must have such a great and righteous spirit.
Looking back at the great figures in Chinese history, Lin Zexu fully embodies this. Zhang Juzheng, too, was upright in major matters.
Historical fiction is not history; it is fiction. Historical fiction should first be fiction, though its content should largely stay true to history. Since it is fiction, it should have vivid and tense storytelling, rich characters with both personality and inner lives, conflicts between their emotions and reality, their struggles, strengths, weaknesses, and the compromises they make. The requirement that it "largely stay true to history" means that not only material life but also spiritual and ideological aspects must not violate historical norms. While historical fiction can be three parts fiction and seven parts reality, these three parts of fiction should not be exaggeratedly unrealistic.
The French writer Alexandre Dumas wrote The Three Musketeers, set in the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV in France. Musketeers could use flintlock guns, but not modern handguns. Similarly, in Chinese historical fiction, Zhang Juzheng cannot light a cigarette with a lighter, nor can his house have an air conditioner. Although he advocates for the rule of law, fairness, and opposes the tax evasion of large landlords, he cannot hold Marxist ideas.
Mr. Xiong is from Ying’an, and Zhang Juzheng is from Hubei. In this historical novel, the details of the Ming Dynasty’s official system and social life are meticulously researched. I was so impressed while reading it that I felt I could not match his level of research. I believe he conducted extensive investigations. During a meeting with Mr. Xiong, I asked him about the historical facts of Li Zicheng slaughtering his rebel companions, hoping to use it as a basis for revising The Sword Stained with Royal Blood. I myself am interested in the Ming Dynasty. In my Biography of Yuan Chonghuan, I highly praise Zhang Juzheng, writing: "From the first to the tenth year of the Wanli era, Zhang Juzheng’s achievements were remarkable. At that time, China was the most advanced and prosperous country in the world. European scholars and writers were all envious of and admired China." I cited the great achievements of China in the 15th year of the Wanli era, much of which was due to Zhang Juzheng’s contributions.
The historian Huang Jinru wrote 1587, A Year of No Significance, choosing that year to represent China’s backwardness in institutions compared to Europe, stating that the main reason was China’s lack of numerical governance. However, five years had not passed since Zhang Juzheng’s death in the 15th year of the Wanli era, and his good governance had not yet been ruined. Comparing China in the 15th year of the Wanli era to advanced European countries, China was still far ahead. At least, major cities like Beijing, Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou were far cleaner, more advanced, and more hygienic than London or Paris. The main shortcomings of China at that time were not the lack of numerical governance but the centralized autocracy and the supreme authority of the emperor under the Ming Dynasty (established by the Ming Taizu). Zhang Juzheng valued "systems," "the rule of law," and "fairness," and even under feudal rule, he could effectively govern a large country like China. He emphasized "matching names with reality," which, in modern terms, is roughly "seeking truth from facts."
Zhang Juzheng is a novel, but it is more realistic and closer to the facts than academic articles like 1587, A Year of No Significance. Historical fiction serves the purpose of "using the past to enlighten the present," but it should not be written with that as the sole goal, as it may become forced and contrived. In literature, the "theme-first" approach has never succeeded. If you want to write about a theme, do so clearly and directly as a political essay.
I appreciate Zhang Juzheng because the author chose Zhang Juzheng, a character who embodies "seeking truth from facts," disregards personal success or failure, and is determined to serve the nation, oppose privilege, fight against arrogance, and uphold systems and the rule of law, to narrate his true experiences and emotions. The author does not force him into a modern framework or use him to allegorize or reflect on reality. Only real historical figures can reflect reality. The past remains the past. To genuinely portray historical figures is already excellent historical fiction.