I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 114 Only the fairness that all scholars in the world believe in can be considered true fairness.

soon.

A large number of Imperial Guards poured into the Shuntian Prefecture Confucian Temple.

Upon seeing Zhao Chengyan's body and his suicide note, Cao Wei, the commander of the Northern Garrison, ordered the Imperial Guards: "Immediately seal off the Shuntian Prefecture Confucian Temple. All those who have seen the body and this letter shall be temporarily detained at the Shuntian Prefecture School, and no one shall be allowed to leave!"

At this time.

A member of the Imperial Guard ran over and reported, "Commander, Wang Songnian, the instructor of the Shuntian Prefectural School, said that more than one hundred teachers and students of the Shuntian Prefectural School have read this letter, and... have already spread its contents! They say that unless they are all killed, they will make sure that this final letter is known to the whole world in order to rectify the atmosphere of the imperial examinations!"

Cao Wei's face darkened.

The Imperial Guards were most annoyed by these kinds of scholars who "had a sense of justice but no respect for the court."

He thought for a moment and said, "Arrest them! Arrest as many as possible who know about or spread this matter. Also, immediately investigate this Zhao Chengyan's situation: his residence, relatives and friends, character, and background. I want to know all the information about him before noon today!"

"Yes!" Several Imperial Guards immediately ran outside.

As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Cao Wei's most important task was to safeguard imperial power.

Regardless of whether the situation reflected in Zhao Chengyan's suicide note is true or false, his actions have already created a rift between scholars and the imperial court.

Therefore.

Cao Wei's first task was to suppress the matter beforehand and then quickly report it to the imperial court for a decision.

……

Less than an hour.

Zhao Chengyan's last letter then spread among scholars and literati.

Corpse remonstrance.

This is the most respected form of remonstrance among scholars throughout the land.

Throughout history, few have dared to do such a thing, let alone Zhao Chengyan, who sacrificed himself for the sake of fairness in the official careers of all scholars.

This greatly excited the scholars, especially the young men around twenty years old.

Many people spontaneously went to pay their respects to Zhao Chengyan, bringing paper money, paper offerings, wine, and food.

Some people even knelt in front of the Shuntianfu Confucian Temple, weeping bitterly.

In their eyes, Zhao Chengyan was a warrior.

It was using the death of one person to secure a fair opportunity for the imperial examinations for all people.

As for Zhao Chengyan's allegations of "bribery through connections, impersonation in examinations, and selling official documents for grain," everyone believes these are true and the root cause of the current injustice in the imperial examination system.

The imperial court should conduct a thorough investigation to prevent cheating from happening again in next spring's imperial examination.

The Imperial Guards were helpless against these scholars and intellectuals.

If all these people were arrested and imprisoned, there wouldn't be enough cells, and interrogating these mostly high-ranking officials would infuriate the Imperial Guards.

Not long after.

Cao Wei also gathered basic information about Zhao Chengyan.

Zhao Chengyan, a farmer from Wanping County, Shuntian Prefecture, is 59 years old. His parents have passed away, and he has never married. He rents a place in Fangjia Hutong, Chongjiaofang, and makes a living by running a mobile bookstall. He took the provincial examination this year but failed...

After compiling these details into a written document, Cao Wei rushed to the Forbidden City.

……

Near noon.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the young Wanli Emperor was reviewing memorials.

Shen Nian stood aside, taking notes on the young Wanli Emperor's daily life and sometimes answering his questions.

Just then, Cao Wei requested an audience.

Emperor Wanli, thinking he had caught the rumor-monger, was overjoyed and said, "Summon Cao Wei!"

Cao Wei strode into the hall, his face solemn. He then recounted Zhao Chengyan's remonstrance with his corpse and presented Zhao Chengyan's last letter.

“Your Majesty, this matter has already spread through the mouths of the scholars and students of Shuntian Prefecture. Many scholars and students have spontaneously gone to the Confucian Temple in Shuntian Prefecture to mourn Zhao Chengyan. It seems that it will not work to suppress it or reduce its impact!” Cao Weihui reported.

Emperor Wanli frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Summon the three Grand Secretaries and Minister of Rites Ma Ziqiang!"

immediately.

As was his habit, the young Wanli Emperor handed Zhao Chengyan's last letter to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian frowned slightly after reading it.

Zhao Chengyan's actions were clearly premeditated.

He first forged the list of successful candidates and posted it on the east wall of the Confucian Temple. Then he wrote a poem on the wall of Tiansheng Temple, where scholars gathered. His purpose was to attract the attention of scholars in the capital, make a big fuss about the matter, and get more people to stand up and criticize the unfairness of the current imperial examination system.

He knew that if he only did these two things, the court could arrest him and accuse him of "slandering the government out of resentment due to repeated failures in the imperial examinations." This would quell the matter.

Therefore, he chose to remonstrate with his corpse.

From the lines of Zhao Chengyan's suicide note, Shen Nian saw Zhao Chengyan's helplessness and his hatred for the current problems in the imperial examination system.

Perhaps it was because he had repeatedly failed, or perhaps it was because he wanted to gain fame by taking his own life.

However, the bribery, fraudulent examinations, and bribery mentioned by Zhao Chengyan are indeed real situations that occurred at the grassroots level.

If this matter is not handled properly, even greater conflicts may erupt during the imperial examinations next March.

Not long after.

Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, Zhang Siwei, and Ma Ziqiang arrived before the emperor.

Cao Wei reported the matter to the four men again.

The young Wanli Emperor looked at the four men and said, "Is it true that there was bribery and impersonation in the examinations? Are there officials hiding this from me? Has the current cheating in the imperial examinations forced students to resort to suicide as a form of protest to voice their grievances?"

Emperor Wanli was very dissatisfied.

The reason he did not mention the practice of "selling certificates and paying taxes" (meaning that wealthy young men could directly participate in the provincial examinations by donating money to enter the Imperial Academy as students) was because this was the reality at the time.

While Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, and Ma Ziqiang were still pondering...

Zhang Siwei was the first to step forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe this matter is a conspiracy orchestrated by a mediocre scholar who, due to repeated failures in the imperial examinations, harbored resentment towards the court and thus plotted a series of schemes to incite hatred towards the court among scholars throughout the land."

"He forged the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, slandered the government with poems written on walls, and incited people with his suicide note. Even though he is dead, he should still be sentenced to death and stripped of his status as a scholar."

"Furthermore, I believe the court should issue another proclamation to inform the people that this person's actions were not a deathbed remonstrance, nor were they an act of sacrificing himself to secure fairness in the imperial examinations for the people. Instead, they were baseless rumors. Such a person is not worthy of mourning and no one should offer sacrifices. The imperial examinations are the foundation of the nation and cannot be slandered by anyone without cause!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Ziqiang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Chengyan's fabrication of rumors is indeed a capital offense, but this alone cannot completely resolve the matter."

"Right now, rumors are flying everywhere, and scholars are questioning the fairness of the imperial examinations. What we need to do is to make scholars trust the court, not force them to accept the court's decision. If we simply label it this way without verification, the imperial examinations will surely cause trouble again next year!"

Zhang Juzheng nodded in approval.

present.

The focus of this matter is no longer on how to convict the deceased Zhao Chengyan, but on making those scholars who questioned the unfairness of the imperial examination system believe in the court.

The imperial court needs to not only take a stance, but also provide evidence.

After all, words spoken in the spirit of a corpse are tantamount to the truth.

The scholars believed that someone willing to offer a deathbed remonstrance had no reason to lie, and whether there was any foul play in the current imperial examination system still needed to be investigated.

At this time.

Seeing that Shen Nian seemed to have something to say, Zhang Juzheng immediately looked at him.

Upon seeing this, the young Wanli Emperor looked at Shen Nian and asked, "Editor Shen, do you have a good plan?"

Shen Nian walked to the lower side, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if we want scholars to no longer question the unfairness of the imperial examination, then scholar Zhao Chengyan should not only be innocent, but should also be credited!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng and the others looked at Shen Nian with puzzled expressions.

Shen Nian always says things that are surprising.

Shen Nian continued, "Zhao Chengyan first forged the list of successful candidates and wrote poems to inscribe on the wall. Then he wrote a suicide note. Anyone could see that he had planned this all along, intending to sacrifice his life to remonstrate against the injustice of the current imperial examination system through this extreme method."

"The court may label it as spreading rumors or slandering the government, but who can't see that this list of successful candidates is fake, and who can't see that this poem on the wall is just his speculation? Why would scholars believe something so obviously fake and that nothing has even happened? Isn't it because they can't see the fairness of the court and the fairness of the imperial examination?"

"The common people, seeing his series of actions, all define it as a deathbed remonstrance, but the court wants to define it as spreading rumors and committing suicide, deserving no regrets. This move is suspected of covering up the truth. How can this satisfy the people of the world?"

"The best course of action right now is for the court to acknowledge Zhao Chengyan's death in remonstrance and not to prohibit scholars from spreading the story. Then, the court should dispatch censors from the Censorate to thoroughly investigate the current problems with the imperial examination system. If there are any, they should be corrected; if not, they should be encouraged to improve. This will allow all scholars in the country to see the court's attitude and its emphasis on the imperial examination system!"

"Otherwise, even if the sons of the two Grand Secretaries achieve first place in the imperial examination next March based on their genuine talent and learning, and many Shanxi students are also on the list, how many people will believe in the fairness of the imperial examination?"

"The imperial examination system is the foundation of the nation. Without a thorough investigation, the people's will will not be appeased, and the world will not see fairness! We should act in accordance with the people's will and let all scholars see the respect the court has for them."

"Back then, there was a scholar named Huang Chao who, unable to pass the imperial examinations in Chang'an, had no choice but to invade the city. Isn't this a cautionary tale? Only fairness that all scholars in the world believe in can be considered true fairness in the imperial examinations!"

"It is a blessing for our dynasty that a scholar dares to remonstrate with his life and question the fairness of the imperial examination system. We should heed the will of the people and not punish him. If no problems are found, it is a blessing for the country; if problems are found, it will be a blessing for the future of the country!"

……

Shen Nian's expression was serious, and his words silenced the entire Wenhua Hall.

this moment.

Zhang Siwei and Feng Bao both changed their expressions. They knew very well that the current imperial examination system could not withstand close scrutiny.

Because both of them had indirectly received money.

(End of this chapter)