In the long river of history, we find a thought-provoking fragment: during Zhang Juzheng's tenure as the first assistant, Hai Jui was recommended to him many times, but in the end it was never used. This plot reflects Zhang Juzheng's unique views on employing people, and he advocates the employment strategy of "re-following the officials and being cautious and clear".
The origin of the term "followers" can be traced back to Sima Qian's "Historical Records", in which there is a record of "The Biography of Followers", which shows that its concept was formed in the Western Han Dynasty. Generally speaking, a follower is an official who strictly follows the rules and regulations and performs his duties diligently. They are often able to bring tangible benefits to the local community in their tenure and are deeply respected by the people. The reason why Zhang Juzheng attaches great importance to the followers shows that he pays more attention to the actual execution and actual achievements of officials, rather than staying at the level of ideas.
On the other hand, there is a historical concept of "clear stream", which is reflected in Chen Shou's "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", when he commented on Chen Qun, he used the phrase "in the name of war, there is a clear stream and elegant hope". Originally referring to a virtuous scholar, Seiryu gradually evolved into a virtuous and prestigious person. However, Qingliu often gives the impression of hypocrisy by focusing too much on fame. In Zhang's view, Qingliu may be more inclined to talk about morality but lack the synonym of practical action.
The reason why Zhang Juzheng did not use Hai Jui was precisely because he was too idealistic and rigid. Although Hai Jui is known as a role model in the clear stream, his overly idealistic and inflexible style of doing things makes it difficult for him to solve problems in practice. During his tenure in Yingtianfu, Hai Jui favored the poor too much, causing the local wealthy to leave, resulting in a tax cut of nearly two-thirds. Despite his high morals, his lack of political accomplishments made Zhang reluctant to appoint him to key positions.
In contrast, Zhang Juzheng attaches more importance to the "followers" who take practical actions and earnestly implement policies. An example of this is Yin Zhengmao, the governor of Liangguang, who, although known for his greed for money and slaughter, was highly regarded by Zhang Juzheng for his outstanding performance after quelling the rebellion in the southwest. Zhang Jiayin, as Gao Gong's cronies, also served in Yingtianfu with his outstanding ability.
Historically, many good people have not necessarily become good officials. A good official should not only reassure the court, but also the people, and have both political achievements and political virtues. Hai Jui is certainly a moral model, but he is not capable of practical governance. Therefore, Zhang Juzheng's way of employing people pays more attention to the actual performance and achievements of officials, rather than staying at the level of ideas.
Perhaps, in Zhang's view, what he needs is officials who can be responsible for the country's social affairs, rather than Qingliu who only serves a specific class or moral code. In the long river of history, Zhang Juzheng's way of employing people may be worthy of our in-depth thinking.