I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 117 New Year's Eve! Hai Rui from Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi Province Attends a Banquet

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, officials no longer took attendance at their offices.

Apart from the Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonies, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which were responsible for preparing for the grand court assembly on New Year's Day and were still quite busy, the officials of the other government offices were all free.

The daily lectures of the young Wanli Emperor have ceased.

The History Compilation Office of the Hanlin Academy has also closed and will reopen after the Lantern Festival holiday next year.

The officials in the capital also relaxed.

After a busy year, I still hold my official position, my performance is acceptable, I haven't been transferred to another post, and I haven't been impeached. It's already a very successful year.

Some people start preparing for the New Year, some start attending various gatherings, some take the opportunity to take a concubine, some start planning how to spend the five-day holiday for New Year's Day and the ten-day holiday for the Lantern Festival, and some even combine the New Year's Day holiday with the Lantern Festival into one long holiday to go home and visit their relatives...

After all, this is the most relaxing and enjoyable long holiday of the year for officials, finally free from the worries of exam results.

at the same time.

Officials from the Hanlin Academy also began to dine together.

Although Shen Nian didn't like gatherings, he couldn't escape the official banquets held by the Hanlin Academy.

That night.

All the compilers, editors, and reviewers of the Hanlin Academy gathered in the back hall of the Hanlin Academy for a year-end banquet, where they ate, drank, and chatted.

The group discussed everything from disaster relief in Liaodong to the reinstatement of Hai Rui, from policies to pacify the people to the discussion of various schools of thought on politics, from the Great Ming Code to the cheating in the imperial examinations, and finally they praised Shen Nianzhi.

This year.

Among all the officials in the Hanlin Academy, and even among all the officials in the capital, Shen Nian was the most prominent.

Everyone understands that if Shen Nian continues to develop in this way, he will inevitably enter the cabinet in the future, and may even become the future Grand Secretary.

Shen Nian picked up his wine glass, made a few jokes, and then completely concealed his own achievements, turning to talk about other things.

Only he knows the truth.

He had made significant contributions, but he had also offended many people. His policies on pacifying the people and increasing the number of candidates for the imperial examinations alone had offended countless local officials!

If he makes a mistake, countless officials will impeach him.

At last.

Ma Ziqiang, a Hanlin Academician who was busy at the Ministry of Rites, and Shen Shixing, the Hanlin Lecturer who was currently in charge of the academy, also came to the banquet. After chatting and laughing with Shen Nian and others, they left late at night.

……

It was the afternoon of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

All the chief ministers of the three cabinet ministers, the ministers or vice ministers of the six ministries, the chief officials of the Censorate, the Imperial Clan Court, the Hanlin Academy, the Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Academy, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of Imperial Banquets, the Court of State Ceremonies, and the five city garrisons, all came to the Wenhua Hall.

Today's meeting is a closed-door meeting of the Ming Dynasty's capital officials, proposed by Zhang Juzheng.

So-called closed-door meetings.

It refers to confidential meetings that are not disclosed to the public and are not documented in writing.

The officials of each government office were required to speak freely, without discussing merits or demerits. They were allowed to complain, file lawsuits, and express opinions that were not permitted in regular court sessions or to write memorials.

In short: The imperial court wants to hear the truth!

Although no notes were required, Wang Jiaping, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and Shen Nian, an editor at the Hanlin Academy, were still summoned.

The two were not required to record the contents of their closed-door meetings in the daily logbook, but they needed to keep the contents in their minds in case the young Wanli Emperor inquired about them.

The fact that the court summoned the two of them shows how highly it values ​​them.

To create a relaxed atmosphere.

The officials sat on both sides, with tea, snacks, and various dishes laid out on the table, just like a private banquet in a commoner's home.

A moment later, the young Wanli Emperor appeared before the assembled officials.

At the Empress Dowager's instruction, he first expressed his gratitude to the officials for their hard work throughout the year, then briefly outlined the achievements of the new policies implemented this year, and finally earnestly hoped that the officials would speak freely.

At first, the officials were a little reserved.

But after the Minister of Revenue, Yin Zhengmao, and the Left Censor-in-Chief, Chen Zan, set an example by speaking frankly, the officials began to speak freely about the affairs of their respective departments.

Some spoke of grievances, some of trivial matters, some of conflicts between government departments, and some of misunderstandings between them...

Everything discussed today will be resolved in today's closed-door meeting. If it cannot be fully resolved, the Cabinet will provide a response and will not hold any grudges.

……

Before we knew it, dusk had fallen.

The Wenhua Hall was still bustling with noise, and the discussion was likely to continue into the evening.

at the same time.

The heads of the twenty-four eunuch offices also gathered at the Directorate of Ceremonial to hold an internal meeting.

Using the example of cheating in the imperial examinations, Feng Bao warned all eunuchs against doing anything that would tarnish the imperial authority.

At present, although the inner court has power, it relies entirely on the emperor's authority. Once they go against the emperor's will, their fate will be very tragic.

Feng Bao was very clear about what the eunuchs could and could not do.

……

And this moment.

A grand banquet is being prepared at the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission and the Pingyang Prefecture Government Office.

Banquet organizer.

They were Gao Lingyue, the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture, who was a fourth-rank official, and Zhang Kui, the prefect of Puzhou, who was a fifth-rank official.

The two men invited Hai Rui, the Right Vice Censor of the Censorate, and Yao Bin, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, who had been in Pingyang Prefecture for nearly two months.

Pingyang Prefecture governs six prefectures (comprising 16 counties) and twelve counties. Among them, Puzhou is the stronghold of the Wang Chonggu family and the Zhang Siwei family.

After arriving in Shanxi, Hai Rui went straight to Puzhou and stayed at the post station.

Hai Rui's inspection tour of Shanxi was quite different from that of other imperial censors.

He rarely went to local government offices.

For the first two weeks, he stayed in the countryside. When he needed to inquire with the local government, he would have the Embroidered Uniform Guard deliver a slip of paper to request the relevant official documents.

Even Zhang Kui, the prefect of Puzhou, had to travel to the countryside to visit him.

after that.

Hai Rui then began to frequently seek out and question officials and clerks in various government offices in Puzhou individually.

He inquired about everything, including commerce, water conservancy, salt administration, land tax, and education.

Each person's statement could fill more than ten pages.

In less than a month, eight large bamboo baskets containing confessions were placed at Hai Rui's residence.

This made Gao Lingyue, the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture, and Zhang Kui, the prefect of Puzhou, somewhat panicked.

Because of the existence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The two had no idea what Hai Rui was investigating.

Before Hai Rui arrived, Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu had both instructed that they should not be afraid of investigation and that they should hand over a few scapegoats as appropriate.

Both the Zhang and Wang families made their fortunes in the salt industry, so it was inevitable that there would be collusion between officials and merchants. It would be strange if the problem wasn't investigated, so both families had already prepared countermeasures.

The back hall of the Pingyang Prefectural Government Office.

Zhang Kui, the prefect of Puzhou, was a tall and thin middle-aged man of about forty years old, watching the actors rehearsing behind him.

"Prefect Gao, the banquet and theatrical performance we've prepared are probably not in accordance with proper etiquette. What if we're impeached by the Imperial Household Agency...?"

Gao Lingyue, the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture, stroked his beard under his double chin and shook his head slightly.

"What's there to be afraid of? We are entertaining him on the orders of Minister Wang and Governor Fang. It's also a holiday season. Even if this is not in accordance with the proper etiquette, it is still the arrangement of our superiors. Would the court punish them for such a trivial matter?"

The Wang Minister and Governor Fang mentioned by Gao Lingyue.

These were Wang Chonggu, the current Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong Military Affairs in Shanxi, who was also the Governor-General of Shanxi and Minister of Justice, and Fang Fengshi, the Governor of Shanxi.

"Then... will the Imperial Guard not honor us with your presence today?" Zhang Kui asked again.

"Humph!"

Gao Lingyue snorted coldly.

"What right does he have to refuse to attend? This banquet was arranged by Minister Wang and Governor Fang. If he dares not to attend, we will completely stop cooperating and see what he can find out!"

Gao Lingyue was not afraid of Hai Rui.

This was because he was of the same rank as Hai Rui, both being fourth-rank officials, and he had never met Hai Rui before.

Zhang Kui feared Hai Rui because he had been in contact with Hai Rui.

His feeling was that after meeting Hai Rui once, he had absolutely no desire to meet him a second time.

Seeing Zhang Kui's tense expression, Gao Lingyue continued, "Don't worry, this matter is destined to be all bark and no bite."

"Even if Hai Rui uncovers some instances of collusion between officials and merchants, the court will not severely punish him, nor will it allow Shanxi to descend into chaos. Unless the court wants to overturn the Longqing peace policy and wants to start another war with Anda! The court's current focus is on the new policies. The northern border must maintain the tribute market; otherwise, if Shanxi descends into chaos, the entire northern border will descend into chaos. Shanxi cannot do without Minister Wang, and the cabinet cannot do without Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Hearing this, Zhang Kui's mood eased slightly.

As long as the imperial court cannot do without Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei, and as long as it wants Shanxi to remain stable and the northern border to maintain normal trade, it cannot allow the current official-merchant relationship in Shanxi to be disrupted.

……

A quarter of an hour later, as darkness fell, a carriage stopped in front of the Pingyang Prefecture government office.

Hai Rui, the Right Vice Censor of the Censorate, and Yao Bin, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, strode into the government office. For the two of them, tonight was not for a banquet, but for asking questions.

At this moment, Hai Rui's complexion was rosy, and his health was even better than it had been three months ago.

However, Yao Bin, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, looked much more haggard than he had three months ago.

Yao Bin impeached the Zhang Siwei family and the Wang Chonggu family because he had lost face in impeaching Shen Nian for laziness in government and wanted to regain his reputation so that his career would not be ruined by such a trivial matter.

His knowledge of the Zhang and Wang families was rather limited, mostly based on hearsay.

He once thought that the Zhang and Wang families were two major cancers in Shanxi's commerce and trade, and that they urgently needed to be eradicated.

Now, after a deeper understanding, he realized that Shanxi's commerce and trade developed entirely on the shoulders of the Zhang and Wang families, especially the border tribute market commerce.

Overthrowing these two powerful families could undermine the Longqing Peace Treaty, potentially causing chaos in Shanxi and triggering war.

He was almost afraid to investigate!

However, Hai Rui was meticulous and recorded every single violation of the Ming Dynasty law by the Zhang and Wang families.

As soon as Hai Rui and Yao Bin entered the front hall of the government office, Gao Lingyue, the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture, and Zhang Kui, the prefect of Puzhou, greeted them with smiles.

As the saying goes: "When an imperial censor meets an official, he gains three points of respect."

Although Gao Lingyue was also a fourth-rank official, he dared not put on any airs in front of Hai Rui.

When he was still five steps away from Hai Rui, he cupped his hands and said, "Hai Qianyuan, I am Gao Lingyue, the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture. I have long heard of your reputation, and seeing you today, I can confirm your extraordinary demeanor. Today is New Year's Eve, and Prefect Zhang and I have prepared a small feast. We wish to celebrate the New Year with Hai Qianyuan and Censor Yao!"

"Please come in!" Zhang Kui gestured for them to come in.

Hai Rui cupped his hands slightly and said, "I had no choice but to come, since Prefect Gao and Magistrate Zhang have extended such a warm invitation!"

After saying that, the four of them walked towards the back hall of the government office.

(End of this chapter)