Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 604 Please issue an imperial decree, Your Majesty!
Wang Shoulian remained kneeling, but upon hearing this, he turned around coldly, his eyes filled with icy coldness, yet his tone was firm and powerful: "The sage taught that a subject should serve his ruler with honest advice and never flatter or deceive. This is the proper way for a subject."

As the sage once said, a subject should earnestly advise and assist his ruler in carrying out the aspirations of Yao and Shun, which is the utmost respect for the ruler.

"If one knowingly fails to remonstrate with one's ruler who has strayed from the right path, it is tantamount to harming one's ruler, a crime of the highest order!"

"Today, Your Majesty has dared to speak frankly and directly, disregarding life and death. I only wish that Your Majesty would pull back from the brink, repent of your past mistakes, and restore the principles of Confucianism and Taoism. This is a sincere heart devoted to serving the country!"

"This ambition is witnessed by Heaven and Earth, and as clear as the sun and moon!"

"Only in this way can we live up to the teachings of the sages and be worthy of the sage's way that we have learned in our hearts."

He turned his gaze to Li Chongwen, his words becoming increasingly sharp: "Li Chongwen, as the governor of Shandong, you bear the heavy responsibility entrusted to you by the court, yet instead of advising the emperor to correct your mistakes and eliminate the hidden dangers of the Ming Dynasty, you flatter and fawn, covet your position and live a life of ease. You are the real parasite of the nation!"

"I, Wang Shoulian, am ashamed to be ranked in the same court as a treacherous official like you!"

"Today, for the eternal stability of the Ming Dynasty and the well-being of all the people, we wholeheartedly offer our advice to Your Majesty."

"If you can come to your senses and offer advice in unison with us, you will still be a loyal subject."

"Otherwise, when His Majesty restores order to the court, you will be the first traitor to be executed by the court!"

Li Chongwen was furious and pointed at Wang Shoulian, retorting, "What a fine Wang Shoulian! The correctness of the court's policies and the distinction between loyalty and treachery cannot be determined by your words alone!"

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Ming Dynasty has been at its zenith, pacifying Japan and Korea in the east, Siam and Pegu in the south, the grasslands and the three Jurchen tribes in the north, Tibet and the Western Regions in the west, and even further afield."

"The naval fleet swept across the four seas, its might shaking the eight directions."

"The Ming army was invincible, and the people of the world submitted to its rule, surrendering without resistance."

"The granaries are piled high with grain, the people live in peace and prosperity, and are no longer suffering from hunger and cold. Under heaven, who does not praise Your Majesty as a sage ruler unprecedented in history?"

"Today, in the Temple of Literature, with the Sage above, ask yourself honestly, are these achievements truly genuine?"

"How dare you say that His Majesty's national policies are wrong?"

Faced with Li Chongwen's questioning, Wang Shoulian remained steadfast and responded calmly, his voice booming: "Your Majesty's achievements in governing the country are evident to all, and I have never had the slightest doubt about it."

"Today's Ming Dynasty is prosperous and thriving, like a beautiful brocade."

"In terms of military might, it far surpasses the mighty Tang and Han dynasties, and its power shakes all directions; in terms of people's livelihood, it is more prosperous than the Song dynasty, and the people live in peace and contentment."

"Your Majesty's achievements are unmatched even by the Tang and Song emperors, and even if Yao and Shun were reborn, they would still be far behind."

Li Chongwen glared at him angrily and pointed at him, saying sternly, "If that's the case, why do you willingly become a rebellious minister, taking advantage of His Majesty's sacrifice to the sage to openly remonstrate?"

Wang Shoulian's gaze was resolute, and his tone was deep and powerful: "Precisely because Your Majesty is a sage ruler unprecedented in history, we, your subjects, should be even more vigilant day and night, lest Your Majesty make the slightest mistake and go astray."

"Today's grand ceremony at the Confucian Temple is a golden opportunity. We offer our advice to Your Majesty, hoping to help you understand the true meaning of the sages and return to the right path. This is the duty of a loyal minister!"

Li Chongwen sneered, his words laced with sarcasm: "Since you know His Majesty is exceptionally intelligent and wise, unparalleled throughout history, what makes you so self-righteous as to claim that you can guide His Majesty and to believe your own opinions to be true?"

Wang Shoulian raised his head and said proudly, "As the old saying goes, even the wisest man can make a mistake."

"Although Your Majesty is exceptionally talented and wise, you are still young and easily misled by treacherous officials regarding the way of the sage."

"It should be known that the way of the sages, 'preserve the principles of Heaven and eliminate human desires,' has been a consensus among great Confucian scholars for hundreds of years. How can it be altered arbitrarily?"

"We have come together today to offer our heartfelt advice, hoping that Your Majesty will retract your erroneous decree and restore order to the existing order!"

Li Chongwen was furious and shouted, "Your gathering of people to launch an attack is clearly an attempt to force His Majesty to abdicate. Do you intend to force His Majesty to draw his sword and kill you all?"

He surveyed the kneeling officials, his voice booming like thunder: "You are all coercing His Majesty in this way, showing no loyalty whatsoever. Do you really think His Majesty's sword is dull and cannot slay a traitor?"

Many of the kneeling people looked up at Li Chongwen upon hearing the voice, but no one answered.

Wang Shoulian smiled coldly, then kowtowed heavily to Zhu Yunwen and said loudly, "Your Majesty, in order to persuade Your Majesty to change your mind, I have specially replaced most of the guards at the Confucian Temple."

"Furthermore, a large number of Wu Ding from Shandong are already outside the temple, fully prepared and ready to enter at any time."

Li Chongwen's expression changed drastically, his body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with horror: "Wang Shoulian, you...you actually dared to stage a military coup?"

Not only him, but all the ministers present were shocked and their expressions changed drastically.

Everyone originally thought that this was just a fierce struggle in which civil officials gathered to force the emperor to submit by means of death under the pretext of sacrificing to the saint. They never expected that it would involve the replacement of the imperial guards.

They actually wanted to stage a military coup?
This is an upheaval!

The officials who had been observing just moments before were now on edge, their hearts pounding with anxiety and confusion.

Even among the civil officials who knelt to remonstrate, many looked astonished, clearly unaware of the military remonstrance.

After all, this kind of thing must be kept extremely secret, and Wang Shoulian certainly couldn't tell too many people.

However, with the die already cast and no way out, everyone could only continue kneeling and remain silent.

Li Chongwen suddenly came to his senses and rebuked sharply, "Wang Shoulian, you are nothing more than a Shandong provincial inspector. Even if you summon some soldiers today to coerce His Majesty, what can you do?"

"Are you delusional, thinking that you alone can command the world and make all the officials obey your orders?"

"Are you dreaming your pipe dream?"

"Once word gets out that the military remonstrance has been made, the imperial army will come to our aid immediately, and the army to quell the rebellion will arrive in no time."

"Can your small force of soldiers withstand the mighty army of the imperial court?"

"Once the army arrives to rescue you, Wang Shoulian, you will surely be utterly disgraced and reduced to ashes!"

Wang Shoulian looked up at the sky and laughed heartily.

As he laughed, he removed his official hat, placed it beside him, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "Wang Shoulian is merely a Shandong provincial inspector; how can he command the entire realm?"

"Furthermore, I am utterly loyal to the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty, and have never harbored the slightest thought of rebellion. Why would we need the imperial army to punish me?"

"Your Majesty, I am filled with sincere righteousness and only wish to persuade you not to arbitrarily deviate from the way of the sages and to return to the right path."

"If Your Majesty can heed my words, issue an edict to clarify the way of the sages, denounce the fallacies of Fang Xiaoru and others as heresies, rectify the moral order, and distinguish between loyalty and treachery, I would have no regrets even if I were to die!"

He bowed deeply and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, after this matter is over, I am willing to bind myself and plead guilty. Even if I suffer the punishment of being cut into a thousand pieces, I will accept it willingly!"

"We only ask Your Majesty to issue a decree proclaiming that the way of the sage is to 'preserve heavenly principles and eliminate human desires,' rather than the fallacy of 'the world belongs to all'!"

"Your Majesty, please issue a decree!"

Zhu Yunwen remained unmoved, his expression as deep as an abyss. His gaze swept slowly over the surrounding officials, then he looked up at the sunlight in the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

The square was eerily quiet.

"Your Majesty, please issue a decree!" Wang Shoulian kowtowed again and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, please issue a decree!" The civil officials kneeling with him echoed in unison, their shouts rising like a surging tide.

"Traitors and rebels deserve to be punished by everyone!" Fang Xiaoru could no longer contain himself, his pent-up anger erupting forth. Just moments before, Wang Shoulian had attempted to ban new learning and denounce the "public good" doctrine as heresy, yet he had managed to suppress his anger. Now, witnessing the other party openly pressuring the emperor, he finally lost his temper and shouted angrily: "Wang Shoulian, as a subject of the Ming Dynasty and the Shandong Inspector, you dare to stage a military coup! You have no respect for the emperor, your audacity is outrageous! With us here today, we swear we will not let your treacherous scheme succeed!"

He was furious, his hair and beard bristling, and he suddenly charged forward.

Not only him, but several other civil officials and scholars were also filled with righteous indignation and stepped forward together.

"Stop them!" Wang Shoulian's voice boomed like thunder as he decisively gave the order.

A military officer beside him immediately echoed, ordering, "Take them down quickly!"

Several soldiers responded to the call and quickly stepped forward to stop Fang Xiaoru and his group.

"Insolence!" Zhao Rui stepped forward, blocking Zhu Yunwen's path. "Without His Majesty's decree, how dare you act rashly? Do you truly intend to rebel?"

Upon hearing the sound, Wu Ding and his men paused, glancing at each other with hesitation in their eyes.

Taking advantage of the situation, Fang Xiaoru raised his arm and shouted: "Soldiers, do not be misled by this traitor Wang Shoulian! Treason is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. If you can come to your senses and capture this traitor to protect His Majesty, it will not be too late!"

The Wu Dings looked at each other, their eyes meeting, hesitant to move forward.

They usually obey orders without question, but today's events are being interpreted as either treason or remonstrance. They don't know who is right and who is wrong, nor do they know how to choose.

Some people looked up at the emperor, but Zhu Yunwen remained silent.

"What are you all standing there for?" The military officer's eyes widened in anger, and his voice was like tearing silk: "Are you all deaf and dumb? Seize Fang Xiaoru and the others at once!"

When Wu Ding heard his superior was angry, he finally stopped hesitating and swarmed forward.

Zhu Yunwen glanced at the military officer, his expression thoughtful, but he remained silent.

At this moment, the emperor's trusted guards from the Tian Shu Division had quietly taken a few steps closer, standing guard on either side of him.

At the scene, Fang Xiaoru and others were entangled in a fierce struggle with Wu Ding and his men.

Originally, although these Wu Dings were no match for the regular new army of the Ming Dynasty, they were not someone that scholars like Fang Xiaoru could contend with.

However, although it is said that "soldiers take obedience to orders as their duty", soldiers are not machines, but thinking, living people.

Although they followed orders, they still had reservations and dared not go too far, so they couldn't take it down for a while.

Li Chongwen shouted, "I am the Governor of Shandong. You Shandong soldiers, how dare you act without my orders?"

Upon hearing this, the soldier hesitated even more.

Then I started to hesitate again.

However, high-ranking officials like the Shandong governor were too far removed from the soldiers' reach.

They truly obeyed the orders of their direct superiors.

However, I was briefly startled upon hearing the news.

At this moment, Li Chongwen was on edge.

These soldiers in front of us are not soldiers of the new army, but soldiers under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.

Even the transfer of them to perform guard duties was with Li Chongwen's consent.

Otherwise, without Wang Shoulian's joint signature, it would have been impossible to mobilize the troops.

It would be even more impossible for them to come to this Confucian temple to carry out such an important task.

No one expected that they would lose control.

Li Chongwen looked at the general beside him, only to find that he did not recognize the man at all.

As the governor of Shandong, he was in charge of the entire province.

The officials who came to visit him on a daily basis were all of high rank.

An ordinary county magistrate would not leave any impression on him at all.

Not to mention that after the Ming Dynasty implemented the new policies, there were already quite a few departments under the provincial government. The number of the main officials in these departments was considerable, and with the addition of the prefects of various prefectures, he had too many people and too many things to manage. He didn't even know many of Wu Ding's generals.

After Zhu Yunwen's reforms, the local military officers were separated from the military and placed under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, which was subordinate to the Ministry of Justice.

Previously, due to the case of Xi Yunlang being framed, the emperor was furious, and all officials in the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commission, from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner down to officials at all levels, were subjected to severe investigation.

Countless people were dismissed from their posts, imprisoned, or convicted as a result.

The Provincial Surveillance Commission has not yet had time to appoint a new Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

After all, the former Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Shen Mo had just been investigated and punished. According to the current regulations, the newly appointed Provincial Surveillance Commissioner must be nominated by the Shandong Provincial Government and the Ministry of Justice, submitted to the Ministry of Personnel for review, approved by the Administrative Office, and formally submitted to His Majesty the Emperor for approval.

Of course, it's hard to say whether Zhu Yunwen will actually read it carefully.

There were too many officials whose appointments required the emperor's approval. For those who were not particularly important, such as local governors and inspectors, high-ranking officials in important government departments, or important military generals, Zhu Yunwen would simply check off a list submitted by the government affairs office and consider it approved.

But in any case, none of these necessary procedures can be omitted.

At least nominally, officials like the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner were required to be appointed by the emperor.

With Zhu Yunwen currently on an inspection tour of Shandong, the Shandong provincial government is already extremely busy preparing for his arrival.

The investigation of relevant officials in the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office also needed to be handled by the Shandong Provincial Government, which had to constantly communicate with the Ministry of Justice to determine which person to recommend to the Ministry of Personnel.

In the short term, neither the Shandong Provincial Government nor the Ministry of Justice had time to deal with the selection of the next Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

We can only put it aside for now and send someone to temporarily take charge of the affairs of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.

Of course, even if the Shandong Provincial Government and the Ministry of Justice did recommend candidates to the Ministry of Personnel, it would take several days for the Ministry of Personnel to conduct an assessment and then report to the Administrative Office.

Fortunately, since there is no chief official, the subordinate officials can take over in order of seniority.

As the authority to maintain local order, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office was itself a very large institution.

Wu Ding was merely a part of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office.

The Provincial Surveillance Commission also includes various other different agencies.

Li Chongwen remembered that the general in charge of commanding the Wu Ding in the Provincial Surveillance Commission had been dismissed and investigated because of corruption and illegal activities discovered during the major reorganization of the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

The current Wu Ding of Shandong Province is a temporary leader who has risen through the ranks.

As for what this person's name was, Li Chongwen had vaguely heard others mention it, but he couldn't remember it clearly, and he didn't know anything about his specific resume.

……

(End of this chapter)