Tol Eressëa "The Lonely Isle"

Ch5

Secretary on Duty：主事
harsh, obdurate, and lacked compassion.：心惑，苛斷，情偏

It has already been some time since the people under Heaven started to regard
Your Majesty as unworthy.
蓋天下之人不直陛下久矣

"All that is needed," he assured the throne, "is a change of heart on Your Ma-
jesty's heart. "Under the present circumstances, Heaven would not speak; long-
evity was unattainable. Chia-ching must rid himself of supersitious practices,
whicw were as hopeless as "trying to stop the wind or catch a shadow" On the
other hand, there was still time for the emperor to become a sage ruler, if he
would adopt the proper approach and maintain it with determination and vigor.
海瑞所要求於皇帝的不過是改變自己的作為，而這改變又非常容易，只需要「幡然悔悟」
，由亂致治，也不過「一振作間而已」。言下之意是，如果皇帝能夠真正振作，選擇合宜
的道路，赴之以決心，他還是有機會成為堯舜之君的。

Custodian of the Imperial Seal：尚寶司丞
Excutive Officer at the Grand Court of Revision：大理寺右寺丞
Commissioner for the Transmission of Official Documents in Nanking：南京通政司右通政