I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 127 Hai Rui's Fifteen Bamboo Baskets of Documents! Learning from Young Friend Ziheng

The frequent wrath of the young Wanli Emperor.

This made officials in various government offices in the capital nervous.

Many officials realized that this young emperor was no longer the naive ruler who could only nod.

His style of doing things and his temperament were unlike those of his father, the mediocre and lenient Longqing Emperor.

He looks more like his grandfather.

The Jiajing Emperor, who at the beginning of his reign, stirred up the Great Rites Controversy, dared to have hundreds of civil officials flogged in court, and quickly realized the absolute power of the emperor.

The Ming Dynasty was never a world ruled jointly by the emperor and the scholar-officials.

It was the Zhu family's world.

Going against Zhang Juzheng might allow for a comeback; but going against the young Wanli Emperor would be tantamount to ending one's official career.

Zhang Juzheng was quite pleased that the young Wanli Emperor had made such a change.

Because he greatly admired the Jiajing Emperor, and because the young Wanli Emperor strongly supported Zhang Juzheng's series of new laws.

At this moment, the two are truly of one mind.

He felt that he deserved the most credit for the changes that led to the young Wanli Emperor, followed by Empress Dowager Li and Shen Nianke.

The young Wanli Emperor's actions at the beginning of the year will undoubtedly deter some eunuchs and officials from engaging in such unscrupulous acts of enriching themselves at the expense of the public, and will improve the atmosphere in officialdom.

at the same time.

Some officials privately speculated that the young Wanli Emperor's change, especially his domineering and forceful manner of speaking, was most influenced by Shen Nian.

Over the past year.

Shen Nian often accompanied the young Wanli Emperor on walks and conversations in front of the Wenhua Hall, with even Feng Bao following far behind.

Perhaps the idea of ​​"confiscating the house" came from Shen Nian.

If the young Wanli Emperor had become obsessed with confiscating property, it would have been a huge disaster for countless officials.

There are very few officials these days who can withstand the punishment of having their property confiscated.

However, Shen Nian's position as a lecturer was extremely secure, and his records of the emperor's daily life were flawless. Some officials who were envious of Shen Nian's status as a "close advisor" could not find any fault with him.

……

The twenty-third day of the first lunar month.

The Ministry of Rites announced the list of examiners for this year's imperial examination.

Ma Ziqiang, Minister of Rites and Academician of the Hanlin Academy, served as the chief examiner, and Shen Shixing, Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently Academician of the Hanlin Academy, served as the deputy chief examiner.

Seventeen people, including Chen Jingbang, Huang Fengxiang, Gong Jiachen, and Shen Nian, who served as readers of the Hanlin Academy, Wang Zudi and Zhao Yongxian, Chen Sanmo, Li Dai, Wu Yuyan, Wu Xiu, and Wu Xiu, were appointed as co-examiners.

At the same time, Wang Xijue, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, was appointed as the official in charge of the imperial examinations.

The officials in charge of the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty were not responsible for setting the questions, grading the papers, or selecting candidates. Instead, they were responsible for various examination affairs and field preparations. They were also known as officials outside the curtain.

other.

For positions such as examiners, supervisors, paper-printing officials, sealing officials, copying officials, reading officials, and supply officials, candidates have also been selected.

None of the three cabinet ministers participated.

Nearly 70% of the officials from the Hanlin Academy were directly transferred to other departments.

According to custom, examiners such as Shen Nian would enter the examination hall on the eighth day of the second month and would not be allowed to leave until the results of the metropolitan examination were announced.

Before this.

They also had to worship Confucius, hold banquets at the Ministry of Rites, discuss exam questions, and prepare the exam papers.

From this day forward, Shen Nian and the others will be very busy.

This year's imperial examination will be the most rigorous in history, and it will also be the year the court expands its recruitment.

……

On February , the dragon looked up.

Spring is cold.

The weather in the capital was still very cold.

However, some bare trees have already sprouted new buds, and the banks of the Yuhe River have begun to turn green, indicating that the new spring is just around the corner.

It was near dusk in Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Province.

A caravan slowly entered a post station thirty miles south of Datong Prefecture.

The caravan consisted of five carriages.

The middle carriage carried Hai Rui, the Right Vice Censor of the Censorate, and Yao Bin, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel. The other four carriages carried fifteen bamboo baskets of documents and the luggage of the group.

The two men were accompanied and protected by twelve members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Based on Hai Rui's current rank, he was allowed to bring two attendants with him when he went on inspection tours.

However, Hai Rui did everything personally, ate very simply, and saved the court every penny he could, which earned him the admiration of the Imperial Guards.

Most officials' "frugality" is just an act.

Hai Rui's frugality, consistent in word and deed, was simply unbelievable to the Imperial Guards.

During the days that Hai Rui and his entourage spent away from Pingyang Prefecture in Shanxi.

The post station where they stayed suffered five fires and eight thefts. On one occasion, Yao Bin, a censor in the Ministry of Personnel, was almost slashed by a masked man with a knife.

Both Hai Rui and Yao Bin knew that this was definitely not an accident.

Some people came to scare them, some wanted to destroy the documents inside the bamboo basket, and some wanted to kill Hai Rui and Yao Bin.

But they were not afraid at all.

He continued to follow official channels, listen to the people's voices, and summon local officials to discuss governance, striving to uncover all the hidden problems of collusion between officials and merchants in Shanxi.

The Imperial Guards were very responsible.

Before leaving Beijing, Emperor Wanli gave instructions that if anything happened to Hai Rui, they would all lose their lives.

of course.

This is also related to the fact that neither Wang Chonggu nor Zhang Siwei authorized the removal of Hai Rui.

If these two men had intended to kill Hai Rui, he would have been dead long ago.

The two men were not kind-hearted; rather, Hai Rui was a symbol of uprightness and integrity in the Ming Dynasty. If he were killed, and the investigation traced back to the two men, they would be forever infamous and unable to recover their reputations.

They couldn't bear the infamy of killing Hai Rui, and they felt that Hai Rui couldn't bring them down, so they didn't have the intention to kill him.

……

Inside the inn.

The group of Imperial Guards carried all fifteen bamboo baskets of documents into Hai Rui's bedroom.

Hai Rui would organize these documents before going to bed each night and place them where he could see them before he would go to sleep.

After a while.

Only Hai Rui and Yao Bin remained in the room.

Yao Bin looked at the fifteen baskets full of documents, his face filled with dejection.

These are fifteen bamboo baskets of documents.

This was enough to send the heads of hundreds of officials, clerks, merchants, and gentry in Shanxi to their deaths.

However, this still could not shake the foundations of the Wang Chonggu family and the Zhang Siwei family in Shanxi.

These days.

Yao Bin clearly sensed that most of the officials, clerks, merchants, and gentry who were investigated were scapegoats thrown out by the Zhang and Wang families, and there was no way to connect them to the Zhang and Wang families at all.

Getting rid of them is like cutting off the branches of a towering tree.

The roots and trunk remained intact.

With enough sunlight and water, the tree will soon become lush and leafy again.

These days.

Yao Bin felt powerless. He even regretted impeaching the Shanxi officials for collusion with businessmen.

Along the way.

He gradually came to understand the influence of the Zhang and Wang families in Shanxi's official and business circles.

If things had gone according to his original plan, he would have uprooted both the Zhang Siwei family and the Wang Chonggu family.

The entire trade in Shanxi might be thrown into chaos, and there is even a possibility that war could break out again on the borders of the Ming Dynasty.

In the end, it will be the court and the people who suffer.

The degree of integration between officials and businessmen in Shanxi is like two sweet potatoes stuck together; to uproot them would destroy the entire land.

He even gradually felt that the downfall of the Zhang and Wang families was not a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, he has been feeling somewhat down lately.

Yao Bin looked at Hai Rui, who was checking documents, hesitated for a moment, and then couldn't help but speak his mind.

"Old Hai, let alone having fifteen bamboo baskets of documents that are detrimental to Shanxi officials and merchants, even if we had a hundred bamboo baskets of documents, it would probably be difficult to shake the power of the Zhang and Wang families. As I've traveled along the way, I feel that Shanxi is completely inseparable from the Zhang and Wang families. If we submit all these documents to the imperial court and ask them to investigate and punish us severely, wouldn't that harm Shanxi, or even cause war and harm the Ming Dynasty?"

Hai Rui meticulously investigated every detail, relentlessly searching for evidence of collusion between officials and merchants in Shanxi, but Yao Bin now felt it was of little use.

Hai Rui put down the document in his hand and then looked at Yao Bin.

"Do you think I've been on inspection tours for so long just to severely punish the officials, clerks, merchants, and gentry in the bamboo basket?"

"Isn't that right? These documents should only result in severe punishment for them!"

Hai Rui shook his head.

"What do you think the court will do if we send these fifteen bamboo baskets of documents to the capital?"

In Shanxi, the collusion between officials and merchants meant that no matter what evidence was uncovered, the final decision still rested with the young Wanli Emperor.

Yao Bin thought for a moment.

"It is possible to severely punish all these people, or it is possible to make an example of them and punish some to warn others. After all, for the sake of the overall situation in Shanxi and for the sake of border trade, the imperial court cannot allow Shanxi to descend into chaos."

Hai Rui stroked his white beard and said, "You're only right about one thing: Shanxi must not be in chaos!"

"Our mission is to eliminate these two huge malignant tumors in Shanxi, while ensuring that Shanxi remains stable."

"I intend to use these documents as evidence to show His Majesty the monopoly that the Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei families have over the officialdom and commerce in Shanxi, so that the court will lose trust in or fear of Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei. Only in this way can we possibly bring them down!"

"Only by bringing down these two can the problem be truly solved. Only then will the power of the Zhang and Wang families be greatly reduced and decline. Only then will small merchants in Shanxi have the opportunity to grow, and only then can Shanxi's officialdom and commerce return to normal!"

"Bring down...bring down Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu?" Yao Bin asked in surprise.

He originally thought that severely damaging the Zhang Siwei family and the Wang Chonggu family would be the greatest victory.

I never imagined Hai Rui thought so much and so far ahead.

"Elder Hai, this... how is this possible? These two are a cabinet minister and a ministerial official, and they were prepared in advance. Even if their families are severely punished, we probably won't be able to find any major crimes committed by them!"

Yao Bin didn't dare to even think about it.

Hai Rui shook his head slightly.

“We don’t need to find out their personal crimes; we just need to keep accumulating evidence of how the two families control officialdom and commerce in Shanxi.”

"When the court fears their power, their end will come. What I mean by bringing them down is not that the court should severely punish them. If we can get Wang Chonggu to retire and Zhang Siwei to leave the palace, then our goal will be achieved!"

"Since ancient times, politics and business should not be combined. If a family has a high-ranking official, the family cannot become a wealthy merchant family. If we succeed, we can break this evil precedent that harms the country and the people, and let future generations of our dynasty be warned that only one of a high-ranking official position or a wealthy merchant position can be kept."

Yao Bin immediately understood Hai Rui's idea.

Currently, the root cause of the collusion between officials and businessmen in Shanxi lies with Wang Chonggu, the Governor-General of Shanxi and Minister of Justice, and Zhang Siwei, a cabinet minister.

To be precise, it was the power held by the two of them.

Only by addressing the root causes can the problems of collusion between officials and businessmen and monopolistic trade in Shanxi be completely resolved.

What Hai Rui was thinking.

The goal was not only to resolve the issue of collusion between officials and businessmen in Shanxi, but also to use this incident to completely eliminate wealthy merchants and high-ranking officials' families across the country.

Yao Bin glanced at the bamboo basket again and still felt it was extremely difficult.

"Old Hai, can we really... really take them down?"

Hai Rui smiled and said, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. We should all learn from Ziheng."

"Editor Shen?" Yao Bin asked, puzzled.

Hai Rui nodded.

"If you were to come up with a theory called 'On Waste,' which could anger every scholar in the world, would you dare to present it directly to all the students at the Imperial Academy?"

"No...don't dare!"

"If you can devise a 'Policy for Pacifying the People' through the Performance Evaluation System, would you dare to submit it to the emperor as an official who believes that the people of the Ming Dynasty should suffer even more for the sake of the nation?"

"No...don't dare!"

"If you could come up with the almost insane idea of ​​'A Hundred Schools of Thought Discussing Politics,' would you dare to submit a memorial and do your utmost to persuade His Majesty?"

"No...don't dare!"

Yao Bin kept shaking his head. Even though he had a good plan like Shen Nian, there were some things he didn't dare to say.

Because the cost of failure is too high, and too many people will be offended.

He didn't have Shen Nian's courage, nor did he dare to be so crazy. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Shen Nian was extraordinary.

Hai Rui paused for a moment.

"Some things may seem impossible, but if you give it a try, they might just become possible!"

"The more cases of collusion between officials and merchants in Shanxi we uncover, the more scapegoats they will be forced to implicate. When His Majesty sees these baskets of documents and realizes that Shanxi should belong to the Ming Dynasty, not just to the Zhang and Wang families, perhaps he will know what to do!"

"In officialdom, besides being skillful, you also need to be stubborn. Like the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains and Jingwei Filling the Sea, they seem foolish, but this kind of stubbornness often leads to great achievements. Ziheng possesses both skill and stubbornness."

“Back then, Ziheng recommended me to inspect Shanxi. He must have thought I had this kind of stubbornness in me. I couldn’t let him down, and you can’t let me down either!”

"Also, don't forget those eight words His Majesty told us!"

"We will investigate this thoroughly and show absolutely no leniency!" Yao Bin said, straightening his chest.

this moment.

Yao Bin once again displayed the same drive he had shown during his inspection tour of Shanxi last year.

He bowed deeply to Hai Rui and said, "Elder Hai, I have learned a lot. This time, we will fight them to the bitter end!"

Hai Rui nodded in satisfaction.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Datong Prefecture government office.

Lin Qiao, the prefect of Datong, already knew that Hai Rui had come to Datong.

He ordered the clerk beside him, "Immediately write a letter to Governor Fang, stating that Hai Rui has arrived in Datong Prefecture!"

This Governor Fang was none other than Fang Fengshi, the Governor of Shanxi.

Wang Chonggu, the Governor-General of Shanxi and concurrently Minister of Justice, held supreme control over the military and political affairs of Shanxi.

Fang Fengshi, the governor of Shanxi, was in charge of all civil affairs in Shanxi.

When Hai Rui inspected Shanxi and thoroughly investigated the collusion between officials and merchants, Fang Fengshi was actually the most worried.

Given Hai Rui's temperament, if he were to arrest and severely punish a group of "small fry" in Shanxi's official and business circles, the most affected would be Shanxi's civil affairs department.

This has a huge impact on Fang Fengshi's performance evaluation.

Furthermore, if a severe punishment leaves behind a mess, it will be extremely difficult to handle.

As the top official in charge of civil affairs in Shanxi, Fang Fengshi specifically instructed Lin Qiao, the prefect of Datong, that once Hai Rui arrived in Datong, he would have a serious talk with Hai Rui.

In his eyes, there is no right or wrong in world politics, only advantages and disadvantages.

The Zhang and Wang families have done more good than bad for Shanxi; to shake their foundations is to shake the foundations of the entire province.

He didn't agree.

(End of this chapter)