I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 123 A Commoner's Perspective! The Correct Way to Navigate Officialdom
It was the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, around noon.

After Shen Nian left Wenhua Hall, the young Wanli Emperor immediately ordered someone to summon Shi Qing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was on duty outside the hall.

The head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a seventh-rank official, below the rank of centurion, and commanded five smaller banners, totaling about fifty men.

Those who hold this position are mostly strong and capable soldiers in their twenties.

Highly skilled in martial arts and quick-witted, they are not favored by the emperor and mostly have military merits, making them the main force frequently carrying out royal missions.

This Shi Qing was specially dispatched by Liu Shouyou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, at the end of last year by Emperor Wanli. He was a trusted confidant whom Emperor Wanli intended to cultivate.

After I tied my hair up.

Emperor Wanli then began to consciously cultivate his confidants in order to increase the emperor's control over the officials and prepare for ruling in his own right in the future.

This was taught to him privately by Empress Dowager Li.

"Shi Qing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Shi Qing, a burly man with a slightly dark complexion, knelt down and kowtowed in greeting.

His voice was crisp and clear, and his whole body exuded a heroic aura.

Emperor Wanli waved to the two eunuchs beside him, who immediately withdrew.

Inside the hall, only the young Wanli Emperor and Shi Qing remained.

"Commander Shi, get up. I have an important task for you," said the young Wanli Emperor.

Shi Qing stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

Followed by.

The young Wanli Emperor then informed Shi Qing that he had ordered Shen Nian's father, Shen Yaoshan, and his father-in-law, Gu Dongyi, to go to the city patrol office to accuse Ma Yi, the deputy commander of the northern city's military forces, of extortion, and to report and expose the fact that someone in the capital was seeking personal gain through the emperor's selection of an empress.

"I want you to keep an eye on them, see who will jump out to stop them, and see how these government offices handle cases. All details must be recorded. Also, protect Shen Nian's father and father-in-law, and don't let them get into danger."

"Your subject understands!" Shi Qing cupped his hands again. The young Wanli Emperor's brief explanation was enough for him to know what he should do.

"I don't want anyone to know about this. Nobody, do you understand?"

"Your Majesty, I understand. I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Shi Qing said, puffing out his chest.

The primary duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was to obey the emperor's orders without question.

With this explanation from the young Wanli Emperor, even if Cao Wei or Feng Bao asked him privately, he would never reveal a single word.

He knew it.

Once the news leaks out, another member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will immediately replace him, and his career will be over.

Shi Qing immediately withdrew.

The young Wanli Emperor gazed at the azure sky outside the door and muttered, "They eat my food and then smash my pot! They deserve to die! They deserve to die! They all deserve to die!"

Emperor Wanli was aware that bribery was rampant in officialdom at the time.

They also knew that it was impossible to resist.

He was well aware that some eunuchs embezzled public funds, after all, the same thing happened during the Jiajing and Longqing reigns.

However, he needed eunuchs to manage the inner court's finances and to check the scholar-officials in the front court. Therefore, he always turned a blind eye to things as long as they weren't too excessive.

But this time.

The young Wanli Emperor could not tolerate that someone was treating his marriage like a marketplace.

He was prepared to teach these people a bloody lesson.

……

this moment.

Inside a private room of a teahouse on Chongwenmenli Street.

Shen Nian informed Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi about the matter of Xiao Wanli ordering his father-in-law and father to file a complaint, as well as how to do so.

Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up.

Since they were willing to serve the emperor, especially since the task involved exposing the shortcomings of officialdom, and with the secret protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the two were naturally happy to do so.

"My dear son-in-law, does His Majesty intend to wipe out all these people in one fell swoop?" Gu Dongyi asked.

Shen Nian nodded.

"That's right. His Majesty was already angry because he couldn't make his own decision on the empress selection, and now that someone has interfered with such an important matter in his life, he naturally wants to punish them severely!"

"This matter is inextricably linked to the eunuchs in the inner court. In addition to wanting to expose those eunuchs who manipulated the selection of the empress, His Majesty also wants to see if any officials in other departments are colluding with these eunuchs!"

Shen Yaoshan stroked his beard and said with a smile, "We are very good at this kind of thing. Next, we will show His Majesty the true nature of the current officialdom."

The officialdom as seen through the eyes of ordinary people is actually the real officialdom.

There are some extremely ugly and unjust things that even Shen Nian cannot see or even imagine.

"Father, Father-in-law, if anything goes wrong, remember that safety comes first." Shen Nian knew that it was not difficult for the two of them to do this, but he was worried that someone might be desperate and have murderous intentions.

However, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly protecting them, the possibility of an accident is not high.

The two nodded seriously.

They also have attendants and guards around them, so naturally they would prioritize their own safety.

……

The following day was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, also known as the Lantern Festival.

Early morning, the winter sun rises.

Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi arrived at the North City Patrol Office with the complaint in hand and handed it to the yamen runners in front of the gate.

They accused Ma Yi, the deputy commander of the Northern City Garrison, of extorting 1,000 taels of silver from them, and of informing them that someone in the capital was using the emperor's selection of an empress for personal gain.

The former is not a serious crime, but the latter's influence is enough to cause a sensation throughout the city.

Manipulating the royal selection process is a crime punishable by death.

soon.

Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi were then called inside.

The North City Patrol Office is responsible for supervising the North City Military Command. When such extortion cases occur, they dare not refuse to take them on.

……

Inside the main hall of the North City Patrol Office.

Xie Zhen, a slender, forty-something-year-old imperial censor patrolling the northern city, sat upright in front, looking at the two men.

He only took this position last October and has little presence in the capital.

He has neither a stigma nor a reputation for virtue.

The imperial inspectors were all appointed by the emperor from among the supervising censors, and their term of office was one year.

Those who become censors are generally not fond of money, but they love fame more than their lives.

Immediately, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi knelt in the main hall and began to answer questions.

Shen Yaoshan had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), so he was not required to kneel.

However, he did not want others to discover his father-son relationship with Shen Nian when verifying his identity, so he also knelt in the main hall.

The two men claimed to be merchants from Jiangnan who had come to the capital to do business.

Because he said a few words about the royal selection of an empress, he was blackmailed by Ma Yi. The details are in the complaint, so he only said it briefly.

If this Imperial Censor Xie handles the case impartially.

The eunuch godfather behind Ma Yi, the deputy commander of the Northern City Garrison, and the person who manipulated the selection of the imperial empress, will soon jump out to cover up the matter, silence the two men, and silence Censor Xie.

If this Imperial Censor Xie had acted out of personal favoritism and protected Ma Yi, the two of them would have already prepared a complaint to be submitted to the Shuntian Prefecture government.

If the Shuntian Prefecture government also acted out of favoritism, the two men were prepared to submit a complaint to the three judicial departments.

In short, the goal is to gradually escalate this matter.

The bigger the fight between the two, the more lawsuits they prepare, the safer they become.

After listening, Xie Zhen said, "This complaint is all empty talk and has no real evidence. I will summon Ma Yi, the deputy commander of the North City Military Command, to confront you!"

"Summon Ma Yi, the Deputy Commander of the Northern City Military Command!"

With a wave of his hand, two constables rushed out of the government office.

... About fifteen minutes later.

Ma Yi rushed to the main hall of the government office.

When he saw Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi, he was first taken aback, then suddenly realized something and his brows furrowed tightly.

"This humble official, Ma Yi, Deputy Commander of the Northern City Military Command, pays his respects to Imperial Censor Xie!" Ma Yi said respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.

Currently, the commander of the Northern City Military Command has one foot in the Ministry of War and is expected to take up his post in March, while ignoring the Northern City Military Command.

Ma Yi was the actual person in charge of the Beicheng Military Command.

Xie Zhen picked up the complaint on the table and said coldly, "Commander Ma, take a look at this complaint and see if it is true?"

Immediately, Ma Yi took the complaint and began to read it carefully.

Lean slightly.

Ma Yi shouted, "Imperial Censor Xie, this...this is utter nonsense! How could I possibly extort money in broad daylight? More than ten of my colleagues in the department can testify to what I did yesterday!"

"How could I dare to engage in thieving activities in the capital? Besides, who would dare to seek personal gain in a matter involving the selection of the empress?"

Ma Yi looked aggrieved.

If you didn't know the truth, you'd think he'd suffered a great injustice just by looking at his expression.

Xie Zhen looked at Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi.

"What do you have to say? If you can't produce any evidence, you'll be accused of falsely accusing a government official, which is a serious crime!"

Shen Yaoshan remained calm.

"Imperial Censor Xie, yesterday we were taken away by the constables of the Northern City Military Command at Qingfeng Teahouse, and someone saw us; when we returned to the inn to go to the yamen, we were accompanied by the constables of the Northern City Military Command, and someone saw us there as well."

"As for the more than ten brothers in the division that Commander Ma mentioned, they can all testify. At this moment, we can have these people write their own statements and compare their testimonies to find out the truth. Presumably, they haven't colluded yet!"

"Furthermore, the thousand taels of silver that Commander Ma extorted probably hasn't been spent yet. We just need to check where he went yesterday, and we'll likely find that thousand taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yi panicked.

Once their testimonies are compared, they will inevitably not match, and his thousand taels of silver are in his home, so it won't be difficult to find them.

After listening, Xie Zhen couldn't help but re-examine the two men. The latter's thinking was very clear, just like that of an official who had been involved in criminal matters.

"Cough cough..."

Ma Yi coughed lightly and said, "Imperial Censor Xie, this matter involves the selection of the Empress, and it is a matter of great importance that we cannot afford to bear. I suggest you think it over carefully and act thrice before you proceed."

As Ma Yi spoke, a grin spread across his face.

The meaning is clear: the court is temporarily adjourned, and they will have a private discussion in the back office.

Xie Zhen frowned. He had to be cautious about matters involving the "royal selection of an empress."

He thought for a moment and said, "Let's adjourn the court for now and discuss this matter again in a quarter of an hour."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi knew that Xie Zhen was a cowardly censor, and that the two of them would definitely have a private chat and discuss countermeasures in the hall.

But that’s fine too.

As the two chat, perhaps an even bigger fish will emerge from the water.

……

A moment later, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi were led to a side hall, while Ma Yi was led to the back hall of the government office.

Inside the back hall.

Ma Yi looked at Xie Zhen, the imperial censor patrolling the city.

“Imperial Censor Xie, some things can be investigated, and some things cannot. You should know who this matter will lead to. Is this someone you can afford to offend?”

"Someone engaged in corrupt practices after the royal selection. Do you think the Grand Secretaries didn't know? The heads of the Six Ministries didn't know? The Chief Censor of the Censorate didn't know? Why didn't they do anything? Because they couldn't!"

"Offending my godfather will leave no one with any peace of mind. You'd better watch out!"

This "godfather" naturally refers to Feng Bao, although Feng Bao did not acknowledge him as his grandson.

Ma Yi knew Xie Zhen's personality and temperament.

This person does not love money and does not accept bribes, but as an imperial censor, he is used to picking on the weak and dares not offend the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Xie Zhen immediately became a little scared.

"Then...how should we handle this?"

"They are guilty of framing court officials and making unwarranted comments about the selection of the empress. They will be given twenty strokes of the cane. Once they leave the government office, I will find a way to make them disappear!"

Upon hearing this idea, Xie Zhen shook his head.

"No, I would never violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty!" Xie Zhen said, puffing out his chest.

Upon hearing this, Ma Yi was both amused and exasperated, wishing he could give Xie Zhen a good beating. He never expected that there would still be such a pedantic official in the capital.

Xie Zhen thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea. Just do as I say."

……

A moment later, in the main hall of the government office.

Xie Zhen looked at the three people below the hall and said, "The North City Patrol Office is only responsible for supervising the North City Patrol Division, but the matter you two have reported involves the selection of the Empress. Such an important matter should be handled by the Shuntian Prefecture."

"Therefore, I have decided to first investigate the extortion by Ma Yi, the deputy commander of the North City Patrol Division. As for the matter of the royal selection of the empress, you need to go to Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint. For now, due to insufficient evidence, you are all free to leave!"

Upon hearing this, both Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi wore helpless expressions.

This is a typical example of lazy governance.

With a single word, he shifted all the blame to the Shuntian Prefecture.

Such instances of bureaucratic inertia occur frequently in local areas, causing great harm to the people.

Ma Yi chuckled upon hearing this.

He hadn't expected Xie Zhen to be so stubborn, pushing the matter away so easily.

However, he was not afraid of transferring the case to Shuntian Prefecture.

He has connections in Shuntian Prefecture.

……

After a while.

Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi headed towards the Shuntian Prefecture government office, while Ma Yi went to find his eunuch godfather.

soon.

This matter was then passed on to the ears of the young Wanli Emperor through Shi Qing.

Not all the officials in the Ming Dynasty's censorate at present dare to speak frankly and defy their superiors.

On the contrary, many officials in the censorate, like Xie Zhen, dared to impeach on some matters, but had no courage to impeach on others.

Just like the case of collusion between officials and businessmen in Shanxi.

All the officials in the censorate knew about this matter, but only Yao Bin, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, dared to speak out.

Many officials in the Censorate and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs dared not get involved in matters such as those concerning the inner court and the Directorate of Ceremonial.

……

An hour later, inside a luxurious mansion.

Ma Yi met his godfather, Yu Xiu, one of Feng Bao's many godsons.

He is a few years younger than Ma Yi.

However, because he was favored by Feng Bao, Ma Yi treated him as his godfather.

During holidays and festivals, they never dare to be short of gifts, and they always give generous and extravagant gifts.

"Godfather, don't worry. Once they get to Shuntian Prefecture, I will make sure they never leave, dying quietly inside. As for the contents of their complaint, not a single word will be leaked!"

Yu Xiu glared and said, "Fool! On the Lantern Festival, do you think you can completely hide the deaths of two merchants? Stop thinking about killing people all day long. Isn't it better to make money peacefully?"

"First, try diplomacy, then resort to force. Lock them up in the Shuntian Prefecture prison for ten days and see if they still dare to plead guilty. Then, make their families pay to bail them out, exhausting their wealth. Once their savings are gone, fabricate another charge and exile them..."

Yu Xiu had done this kind of thing far too many times, so he spoke of it with ease, as if the Shuntian Prefecture was his own private office, where he could convict people however he pleased.

(End of this chapter)