I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 133 A Hero's Will to Cut Off His Own Arm! When court affairs are unresolved, consult the jack-of-all-trades, Shen Ziheng.
On the first day of the third lunar month, at noon, the spring sun shone brightly.

The front yard of the Su residence.

Shen Nian leaned back in a bamboo recliner, with nearly eight-month-old Yan Che sitting in her lap.

At this moment, little Yan Che is beginning to understand human speech, which is the most adorable and fun time of his life.

Just as the father and son were playing happily, Aji walked over quickly and said, "Young Master, Eunuch Zhang Jing from the palace has arrived!"

Hear this.

Shen Nian pursed her lips slightly, knowing that her holiday was probably going to be ruined.

Zhang Jing was an adopted son of Zhang Hong, a eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat and the Director of the Imperial Archives.

Currently responsible for safeguarding memorials from all departments and conveying the decrees of the young Wanli Emperor, Zhang Hong and Zhang Jing's status has risen considerably since Feng Bao was implicated in manipulating the selection of the empress.

Zhang Jing came to the Su residence to convey the imperial edict of the young Wanli Emperor.

Shen Nian handed her son to Gu Yue'er, changed into her official robes, and strode into the front hall.

"Your subject, Shen Nian, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, respectfully greets Your Majesty!" Shen Nian performed the proper greeting.

Zhang Jing announced loudly, “His Majesty’s decree: I have not seen Editor Shen for half a month and miss him dearly. Therefore, I hereby order Editor Shen to come to the palace this afternoon to have a talk with me!”

The only minister whom the young Wanli Emperor could use the phrase "I miss him very much" to describe was Shen Nian.

Only when facing Shen Nian would the young Wanli Emperor use such emotionally charged words.

"I obey!"

Shen Nian was certain that the young Wanli Emperor would not summon him for idle chatter without a reason.

Before Shen Nian could even ask a question.

Zhang Jing then said, "Editor Shen, please be prepared regarding the land survey in Henan."

"Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Zhang!" Shen Nian bowed to him.

This reminder is very important.

This would allow Shen Nian to learn about the current situation of land surveying in Henan before entering the palace.

Zhang Jing could have said this without actually saying it.

This is why many officials curry favor with and bribe eunuchs; a single word from them can sometimes change an official's career path.

If it were any other official, receiving such a reminder from Zhang Jing, they would certainly have prepared the "routine allowance."

This reminder is worth at least a hundred taels of silver.

But for Shen Nian, there are no such rules at all.

Zhang Jing was already satisfied when he heard Shen Nian say "thank you".

Feng Baoyou instructed: The twelve directorates, four departments, and eight bureaus of the inner court must not ask Shen Nian for regular allowances, not even if they are given. They must also do their best to be on good terms with Shen Nian and must never make things difficult for or offend him.

Feng Bao valued Shen Nian so highly.

He was betting that Shen Nian would eventually join the cabinet, and whether he could enjoy his later years in peace might depend on Shen Nian's mood.

These eunuchs always had a keen eye for people.

"Editor Shen, I have delivered His Majesty's edict. I have other official business to attend to, so I will take my leave!" Zhang Jing bowed to Shen Nian.

"I'll take you, I'll take you!" Shen Nian said with a smile.

These words flattered Zhang Jing.

Last month, he came to the Su residence to deliver three oral orders, all of which were escorted by Shen Nian's page, Aji. Shen Nian did not leave the front hall.

This is Shen Nian's principle of conduct.

He personally escorted Zhang Jing out of gratitude for Zhang Jing's kind reminder.

Although Zhang Jing's reputation in the inner court wasn't particularly good, he never did anything bad to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian personally saw him off, which was also to show him that she was polite and that she would definitely speak up for Zhang Jing if he was wronged in the future.

This is Shen Nian.

He has no regular allowance, but if you treat him sincerely, he will treat you sincerely in return.

Since entering officialdom, Shen Nian has never displayed the superiority complex often associated with scholar-officials.

In his eyes, everyone is equal; if others are sincere to him, he will be sincere to others in return.

More than half an hour later.

Shen Nian first went to the Hanlin Academy to review some recent documents related to land surveying in Henan, and then headed to the Wenhua Hall.

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

The young Wanli Emperor sat before his throne reviewing memorials, while Zhang Jing stood to one side serving him.

In the past, the young Wanli Emperor would spend most of his afternoons practicing calligraphy and reviewing the lessons he had been given.

However, Feng Bao was recently punished for his mistakes.

Emperor Wanli became more attentive when reviewing memorials, instead of just glancing at them and tossing them to Feng Bao for approval.

aside.

Shen Nian was reading the memorial submitted by Zhang Jian, the imperial censor who was inspecting Henan.

When he saw Zhang Juzheng's draft proposal, which stated "send back Master Zhou and dispatch the Imperial Guards to Henan to investigate the matter of the fake archer with the Imperial Inspector Zhang Jianlian," he immediately understood what the young Wanli Emperor wanted to do.

The current Wanli Emperor.

He longed to rule in his own right and aspired to become a sage like Yao and Shun. He would certainly want to personally uphold justice for this upright and righteous Master Zhou.

Shen Nian spoke up: "Does Your Majesty wish to reject the cabinet's proposal and meet with this Master Zhou?"

"Shen, the editor-in-chief, understands me perfectly. This is exactly what I was thinking!"

"However, I do not know how to begin, or how to get the Grand Secretary to listen to me. If I directly refute the Grand Secretary, he may be displeased, or even refute me."

"Furthermore, this matter involves the Tai Gao of Emperor Taizu. I know that the current affairs of the court can no longer follow the laws of the Tai Gao. However, I am deeply moved by Master Zhou's actions. I would feel uneasy if I sent him back."

Shen Nian was very pleased to see that the young Wanli Emperor cared about the people.

He paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if you directly refute Grand Secretary Zhang's proposal, Grand Secretary Zhang probably won't refute it, but will resign directly!"

"What? Is it that serious?"

The young Wanli Emperor immediately stood up. At that moment, the Ming Dynasty was completely inseparable from Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Nian took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, I am certain that this draft is not the opinion of Grand Secretary Zhang alone, but rather the joint draft of the three Grand Secretaries after discussion, because this matter involves the new policies and the important task of measuring land throughout the country."

"The three Grand Secretaries suggested sending Master Zhou back for three reasons."

"Firstly, this move is an opposition to the application of the 'Great Proclamation' law to the present day. If the 'Great Proclamation' is revived now, the officialdom of our Great Ming Dynasty may... be filled with lamentations, and the prisons will be full of officials."

The young Wanli Emperor nodded in approval.

Although the Great Proclamation is an ancestral system, it cannot be openly stated that it should be abolished, but it is absolutely impossible to revive the Great Proclamation.

Master Zhou's act of "binding up corrupt officials and bringing them to the capital to lodge a complaint" was the catalyst for the revival of the *Da Gao* (Great Proclamation). The court, naturally, could not allow such a massive upheaval in the current officialdom, and therefore absolutely could not support Master Zhou's actions. "I understand this principle, and I will never advocate for the revival of the *Da Gao*. I simply wish to meet Master Zhou and hear his grievances. When I meet him, I can issue an edict strictly prohibiting local people from binding corrupt officials and bringing them to the capital. He is an exception; is that not acceptable? After all, there are too few people like Master Zhou who risk their lives to speak for the people. Even among the officials of the court, few possess his compassionate heart. I must uphold justice for such people!"

Shen Nian shook his head slightly.

"What Your Majesty says is the second reason I wanted to give."

"If Your Majesty's reason for rejecting this draft is merely out of sympathy and admiration for Master Zhou, it will make Grand Secretary Zhang feel that Your Majesty is disregarding the overall situation and acting solely to gain the reputation of a virtuous ruler. In that case, Grand Secretary Zhang will inevitably resign in protest, forcing Your Majesty to rescind your order."

"And the third reason?" the young Wanli Emperor pressed.

"The third reason is the most important, and it is also the main reason why the Cabinet is unwilling for His Majesty to personally handle the case."

"Whether the falsification of archery, the false measurement of land, the reduction of land taxes for imperial princes and the increase of land taxes for commoners was an act of Xiangfu County alone, or a collective act of the entire Henan Provincial Administration Commission to complete the land measurement task, is currently difficult to determine."

"If all the provincial officials in Henan Province are implicated, this matter will escalate!"

"If the evidence is found, should the court remove all the provincial, prefectural, state, and county officials in charge of surveying the land in Henan? Should all the vassal states in Henan be severely punished?"

"If all the officials are removed from their posts, who will be in charge of measuring the land in Henan? If it is not completed within a year, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the imperial court? Would it affect the implementation of land measurement and the Single Whip Law in other places?"

"His Majesty's personal involvement means this matter will remain in the open. If it truly is the work of the entire Henan Provincial Administration Commission, and the court punishes it severely, then Henan may easily descend into chaos!"

"Grand Secretary Zhang's suggestion that His Majesty send the Imperial Guard to investigate this matter is the safest decision. After the investigation, whatever the result, there can be adjustments, so as not to cause public resentment to boil over or to shock the entire court."

"Grand Secretary Zhang's proposal is truly for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. He carefully considered the overall situation before drafting this proposal. His Majesty has no convincing reason to refute it, so Grand Secretary Zhang will surely force him to resign!"

……

After listening to Shen Nian's words, the young Wanli Emperor pondered for a moment before understanding.

The nature of this matter is completely different depending on whether he personally interrogated the suspect or the investigation was conducted by the factory guards.

If he were to preside over the trial.

This matter will attract a great deal of attention from both the imperial court and the general public.

It would be recorded in the daily records, in the national history, and even trigger complaints from people in other places about land surveying.

Very messy.

Emperors generally cannot personally handle cases.

Because if he does everything himself, and makes a mistake, no one will take the blame for him.

This matter involved the entire Henan Provincial Administration Commission, the province with the most fertile land in the Ming Dynasty, so Zhang Juzheng chose the safest way to carry it out.

Little Wanli slowed down.

"I understand. It seems the only option is to send Master Zhou back!"

The young Wanli Emperor was somewhat disappointed; given his status, he couldn't do many things as he pleased.

At this moment, Shen Nian smiled slightly.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask, if this matter was indeed orchestrated by the provincial officials of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission, what would Your Majesty do? Would you risk the inability to complete the land survey this year by dismissing all these provincial officials?"

The young Wanli Emperor looked hesitant.

"If that's the case, I might have to ask the Grand Secretary."

Emperor Wanli feared chaos in Henan and that the princes might secretly plot and cause trouble; such matters were beyond his control at the time.

This is what Shen Nian was waiting for.

"Your Majesty, I believe that if you consult the Grand Secretary, he will surely choose the safest approach, which is to minimize the negative impact of this matter."

"However, if you insist on investigating to the end, Your Excellency will surely dare to remove all the provincial officials in Henan!"

"What does this mean?" asked the young Wanli Emperor, his face full of confusion.

Shen Nian, his face flushed with excitement, continued, "Your Majesty, I have never liked the cautious approach in doing things; I prefer the method that can eliminate the root of the problem in one fell swoop."

"I believe that you are not incapable of refuting Grand Secretary Zhang's draft proposal, nor are you incapable of personally meeting with Master Zhou to examine this matter."

"If you can show the determination of a hero cutting off his own arm, and make Grand Secretary Zhang understand that even if you dismiss all the officials in Henan, even if you reshape the Henan officialdom, and severely punish all the Henan clansmen, you must completely correct the bad habit of local officials acting recklessly, and you must fight for the interests of the people, then Grand Secretary Zhang will definitely not implement this cautious approach."

"You can't let Grand Secretary Zhang be your patron forever. You have to become Grand Secretary Zhang's patron, and the patron of all the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty. Only in this way will Grand Secretary Zhang have more ability to do things, and the civil and military officials will have more courage to do things!"

These words struck a chord with the young Wanli Emperor.

In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's power was supreme.

A ruler can embolden his ministers.

If the young Wanli Emperor had the courage to make tough decisions, even at the cost of rebuilding Henan, and to seek benefits for the people, Zhang Juzheng would certainly have had no worries and would not have first sent the imperial guards to investigate the situation before considering how to resolve the matter.

"How exactly should we do it?" Little Wanli asked Shen Nian.

"First, Your Majesty should speak privately with Grand Secretary Zhang and inform him of your firm stance on this matter. Based on this, the Grand Secretary will surely agree to Your Majesty's request to personally meet with Master Zhou and personally investigate the matter."

"Afterwards, I suggested that Your Majesty should immediately dismiss the provincial officials, including the Governor of Henan Shi Mengzhong, the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Henan Zheng Yunying, the Left Councilor of Henan An Jiashan, and the Left Councilor of Henan Xu Daren, and then dispatch the Minister of Revenue Yin Zhengmao to work with the secret police to thoroughly investigate this matter."

"The bigger the commotion, the more His Majesty values ​​it, and the more the people dare to speak out!"

"If it is found that this was a scheme devised by all the provincial officials in Henan to complete the task of measuring the fields, the imperial court will severely punish them all. If it is found that it was only the action of Xiangfu County, this action can also serve as a warning to the people of the whole country!"

"Let the world see the court's attitude, let the world know that His Majesty is willing to rebuild Henan, dismiss the provincial officials, and severely punish all the princes and nobles in Henan, all for the sake of the new policies and the people, in order to implement the new policies!"

"In this way, all the provincial administration commissioners will know Your Majesty's intentions, and when implementing the new policies in the future, they will certainly not dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy them. In addition, I suggest that several corrupt officials and vicious princes be thoroughly investigated. Their crimes, even if we do not use the Great Proclamation, but punish them with the Great Ming Code, would be enough to confiscate their property!"

……

After pondering for a moment, the young Wanli Emperor nodded seriously.

He admired Shen Nian's style of doing things—decisive, efficient, and unconventional.

Only by doing this can we prevent such things from happening in the future.

At this moment, he especially wanted to hug Shen Nian. Shen Nian had a great influence on him, and even made him have some of Shen Nian's personality and way of thinking.

Just now, Shen Nian was essentially teaching young Wanli how to be a wise ruler.

There is much written in books about the way of emperors, and Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng also taught a lot, but only what Shen Nian taught left a deep impression on the young Wanli Emperor, who regarded it as the golden rule.

The eunuch Zhang Jing, who was standing to the side, was stunned by what he heard.

He felt that Shen Nian's heart was made entirely of lotus root, full of holes.

……

About half an hour later.

Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng was summoned to the Wenhua Hall and did not emerge until dusk.

At this moment, his face was full of smiles.

"I have finally educated His Majesty into a capable man. I never expected His Majesty to have such courage. Even if it means rebuilding Henan, he will bring the officials and nobles who have harmed the interests of the people to justice. His Majesty is becoming more and more outstanding. He is even somewhat like Emperor Taizu. I was too conservative. This matter should be handled this way..." Zhang Juzheng muttered to himself as he walked back to his office in the Grand Secretariat.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng felt that all his plans for the new policies were on the right track.

He was convinced that the next five to ten years would be a period of great prosperity for the Ming Dynasty.

He was full of expectations for the future, and also for the young Wanli Emperor.

His life's ambition was that the new policies were only second in line with his ambition; his first priority was to cultivate the young Wanli Emperor into a wise and benevolent ruler.

Now, he feels that this goal is very, very close.

(End of this chapter)