I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 152 Hai Rui Resigns! Shen Nian: A country with an elder is like a treasure.

On May 22nd, the weather became even hotter.

The wheat harvest in Beizhili has been completed.

Although there was a drought at the beginning of the year, the impact was not significant, and this year can still be considered a bumper wheat harvest season.

After this wheat harvest.

The land discovered from the imperial princes and their "voluntary" donations was all handed over to the imperial court for disposal.

Meanwhile, with the cooperation of Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu.

While in Shanxi, Fang Fengshi and Hai Rui took a series of tough measures against the Zhang and Wang families, as well as Shanxi officials and merchants who violated the law.

Those scapegoats pushed out by the Zhang and Wang clans must be severely punished.

Those unscrupulous merchants who privately sell grain and iron to the Mongols and Jurchens must be severely punished.

Those corrupt officials who embezzle military funds, resell official documents, and extort money from vassal states must be severely punished.

Because of the past contributions of Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu.

Their immediate family members were reduced in rank and wealth to avoid further disaster, and received only a light punishment.

It is foreseeable that——

In less than a year, the Zhang and Wang families, who were banned from business and land acquisition, will become just two ordinary families in Puzhou, Shanxi.

As long as the Zhang and Wang clans obey, they can still live a prosperous life with their current clan wealth.

If they don't obey, the court won't be so lenient next time.

Next, the business of the two major Shanxi merchants will be transferred to countless small merchants.

Buying and selling will also become more fair and transparent.

This is undoubtedly a great opportunity for Shanxi's commerce to take off.

As for border trade and mutual markets.

Legitimate businesses were largely unaffected, while shady dealings were completely eradicated.

Because Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang are cooperating in training troops on the border, there has been no military conflict with the Mongols so far.

The matter between the Zhang and Wang clans also caused a huge reaction among the people.

Many scholars, merchants, and farmers praised Hai Rui, saying that having Hai Rui in the court was a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and for all the people.

They never dreamed of this.

The imperial court actually punished both a cabinet minister and a department head at the same time, and also uprooted their entire families.

In the past, this was something they would never have dared to even imagine.

……

On May 25th, in the afternoon, the weather was hot and dry, and cicadas chirped outside the window.

Inside Shen Nian's official residence at the Hanlin Academy.

Shen Nian buried himself in writing, preparing his lecture for Prince Lu the following afternoon.

He doesn't necessarily have to follow the script exactly, but he must submit the script in advance.

This is the rule.

At this time.

Wen Sheng, the clerk in charge of Shen Nian's daily chores, strode to the door, knocked, and announced loudly, "Shen Nian, the recently replenished writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones have arrived!"

"Bring it in!" Shen Nian said.

After Wen Sheng placed the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone into the wooden cabinet beside him, he said, "Shen Shijiang, the news has spread throughout all the government offices that Hai Qianyuan has submitted a memorial requesting to resign and return home."

"Hmm?" Shen Nian asked with slight confusion, "When...when did this happen?"

"The memorial requesting resignation should have arrived at the Office of Transmission around noon, and then it was sent to the Grand Secretariat. The specific contents are still unclear, but it is expected that the matter will be mentioned in the morning court tomorrow. Officials in various government offices almost all know about it."

Shen Nian nodded, then waved to Wen Sheng, who immediately understood and quickly retreated.

Shen Nian sat at the table and began to think slowly.

Hai Rui's resignation was entirely within Shen Nian's expectations.

The imperial court invited Hai Rui to come out of seclusion last year so that he could thoroughly investigate the affairs of the Zhang and Wang clans.

The mission is now complete.

Hai Rui, as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a fourth-rank official, should return to the capital immediately.

The Right Vice Censor-in-Chief was an official who sat in the censorate.

This means that if Hai Rui is not assigned to any external post, he should continue to serve in the Censorate in the capital.

However, Hai Rui was very clear about it.

He harbored a lot of unpleasant thoughts and feelings, which made him disliked by the vast majority of officials in the capital.

Such as this time.

Hai Rui knew that the court was holding closed-door court sessions and not publishing his memorial, "Memorial on the Corruption of Officials and Merchants," for the sake of the greater good, but he did not like it.

He believed that the current court should uphold the laws of Emperor Taizu and severely punish all corrupt officials in order to make officials across the country wary of such behavior.

But he knew that the court would not follow his ideas.

Hai Rui knew that if he stayed in the capital, the officials in the capital would be uncomfortable, and he would be even more uncomfortable.

Therefore, after completing his official duties in Shanxi, he intended to retire and return home.

This thought.

Shen Nian had already clearly sensed this in the private letter Hai Rui had written to him last time.

this moment.

Shen Nian was curious as to why Hai Rui's resignation memorial had spread so quickly.

As usual.

Hai Rui's memorials would first be sent to the Office of Transmission, and then the Office of Transmission would make a copy and send it to the Grand Secretariat. The Grand Secretaries would then draft a proposal and present it to the young Wanli Emperor.

The memorials that arrive at the Office of Transmission today will generally not be known to officials until tomorrow.

And today.

The memorial arrived in the capital in less than two hours, and almost all the officials in the capital knew about it.

This indicates that someone deliberately leaked this information.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Nian couldn't help but smile helplessly.

He figured it out.

An official released this information so that all officials could prepare themselves and devise countermeasures for how to react when the officials of the Court of State Affairs read this memorial to the emperor in court the next day.

Most officials in the capital were unwilling for Hai Rui to remain in the capital.

They feared that if Hai Rui remained in the capital, given his intolerant nature, impeachment memorials might come one after another.

Among those unwilling to let Hai Rui remain in the capital were even the four current cabinet ministers.

This unsheathed Ming Dynasty sword is so sharp that anyone could be injured by it.

Even Shen Nian felt that Hai Rui was not suitable to be in the capital.

Firstly, Hai Rui's righteous indignation clashed with the current officials in Beijing; secondly, Hai Rui would also feel miserable staying in the capital.

but.

The imperial court would certainly not allow Hai Rui to retire at this time.

Because Hai Rui had just made great contributions and was at the height of his fame, if he were to retire, the people of the land would certainly complain.

Shen Nian pondered deeply.

Next, we need to figure out where to place this Great Ming Divine Sword to unleash its maximum power.

……

The following morning, the usual morning court session was held.

The young Wanli Emperor sat high on his throne, while civil and military officials gathered at the Huangji Gate.

Today, Shen Nian did not serve as the recorder of daily life, but stood at the back as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy.

soon.

The official on duty at the Office of Transmission read aloud Hai Rui's memorial requesting resignation.

Hai Rui requested to retire due to old age, poor health, and numerous illnesses.

The cabinet's proposed resolution was: Hai Rui, the Vice Director of the Imperial Censorate, is upright and outspoken, and has rendered meritorious service in his inspections. He should not retire; his assignments are entirely at Your Majesty's discretion. Censors of Hai Rui's rank were personally appointed by the emperor; civil and military officials only had the right to offer suggestions.

Emperor Wanli looked down and said loudly, "My ministers, the Imperial Censor Hai Qian has made great contributions during his inspection of Shanxi. I certainly do not want him to retire. What kind of post do you think we should assign to the Imperial Censor Hai Qian next?"

The young Wanli Emperor had barely finished speaking.

A senior official from the Ministry of Personnel stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that Hai Qianyuan is discerning, impartial, and selfless. He has achieved remarkable results in Shanxi and is deeply loved by the people. It would be better to make an exception and promote him to the position of governor-general of the province, in charge of military affairs and the administration of provisions.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian couldn't help but laugh.

This official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel hoped that Hai Rui would settle down in a province, become a powerful regional official, and thus be unable to return to the capital and have no time to impeach other officials.

not far away.

The four Grand Secretaries, Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, Ma Ziqiang, and Yin Zhengmao, all shook their heads slightly.

Hai Rui was better suited to be a supervisory official than a high-ranking local official; otherwise, he might have impeached and dismissed all the officials in a province.

Ma Ziqiang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the provinces are not lacking governors-general or provincial governors at present. Hai Qianyuan is too upright and is not suitable for this position!"

The young Wanli Emperor nodded in approval.

Immediately afterwards, an imperial censor from the Censorate stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Hai Qianyuan is skilled at inspecting local areas. Why not send him to inspect Henan, Zhejiang, Huguang and other places again? Given Hai Qianyuan's abilities, he will probably bring surprises to the court every time."

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

……

Several censors from the Censorate and officials from the Six Ministries stood up to second the motion.

They all did not want Hai Rui to stay in the capital, because if Hai Rui were there, they would be made to look extremely useless.

The officials of the Six Ministries couldn't help but shudder when they heard the word "surprise".

They believed that Hai Rui was too destructive and inflexible, and that if he were to go on inspection tours to other provinces, he would uncover a whole host of crimes.

The Ministry of Personnel must be busy replacing officials every day.

Immediately, Wang Tang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the Director of the Imperial Guard has already submitted a memorial stating that he is in poor health, and that inspecting multiple provinces is extremely strenuous. This position is mostly held by officials under the age of fifty, so it is not advisable for the Director of the Imperial Guard to continue his travels!"

Wang Tang spoke subtly, ostensibly out of concern for Hai Rui's health, but in reality, he was worried about Hai Rui's destructive potential.

Followed by.

Several other officials spoke, and their unanimous opinion was that Hai Rui should be sent to a local post and not remain in Beijing.

Some even claim that Hai Rui could be appointed as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief in Nanjing, a position that appears to be a promotion, but in reality, it's a way to let Hai Rui retire in Nanjing.

However, this idea received the support of many officials.

They feared that Hai Rui would remain in the capital, and that he would rise to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate by submitting a series of impeachment memorials.

Just then, Yao Bin, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward.

The moment he stepped forward, many officials guessed what he was going to say and couldn't help but become nervous.

Yao Bin clasped his hands in a deep bow and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I believe that Hai Qianyuan should remain in the capital and oversee the Censorate."

"Firstly, the Vice Commissioner of the Imperial Guard is old and in poor health, and it is indeed not suitable for him to continue his inspections in various provinces; secondly, the fact that the Vice Commissioner of the Imperial Guard remains in the capital can deter many officials who are incompetent and corrupt, so that the officials will not dare to slack off!"

After Yao Bin finished speaking, the Huangji Gate was completely silent; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

No one stood up to agree with him.

Everyone's reluctance to let Hai Rui stay in Beijing was practically written on their faces, but Yao Bin was still so stubborn.

The officials admired Hai Rui, but none of them wanted to work with him or be supervised by him.

Shen Nian had not expected that the officials were so wary of Hai Rui.

He paused for a moment, then strode out of the line.

Upon seeing Shen Nian step forward, some officials couldn't help but frown.

Given Shen Nian's personality, he will most likely support Yao Bin, the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel.

Yao Bin, who had just felt slightly embarrassed, now had a smile on his face.

Shen Nian said loudly, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Imperial Censorate should not remain in the capital. The six departments of the capital can handle the investigations, and the duties of the Censors are local."

Upon hearing this, some officials immediately broke into smiles.

Shen Nian continued, "Furthermore, I also feel that the Vice Director of the Imperial Guard is no longer able to inspect other provinces as he has inspected Shanxi. However, an elder is a treasure to the country, and it is not yet time for the Vice Director of the Imperial Guard to retire. I have come up with an easy yet important post for him."

"Shen Shijiang, tell me quickly!" the young Wanli Emperor asked anxiously and excitedly.

"Currently, the officials in charge of local affairs in our dynasty are the Censors, who are scattered across the two capitals and thirteen provinces. These censors are ordered by the emperor to impeach officials and examine their conduct. They are not under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries or the Cabinet. Only a few Censors-in-Chief of the Censorate can supervise them, and the clerks can also interrogate them. However, all of these people are in the capital!"

"In my opinion, some local censors currently wield excessive power and many abuse their power for personal gain, so they urgently need to be supervised!"

"Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to dispatch the Imperial Censorate to inspect all the censors throughout the land. If the censors are honest, then the officials will be honest, and if the officials are honest, then the land will be honest."

"Because the Vice Director of the Imperial Censorate is frail and often ill, I suggest that he be allowed to freely choose where to go for inspection, and only need to report to the court once a month. This would also increase the deterrent effect on local censors!"

Hear this.

Apart from the Censorate, officials from all other government offices were delighted.

The censors of the Censorate would speak out on rumors and maliciously impeach officials, causing many to suffer as a result.

In some places, the censors held low rank but great power, and many of them were corrupt and demanded bribes.

Unfortunately, only the imperial power could control them.

If Hai Rui were to inspect these censors, the image of the Ming Dynasty's censors would surely be completely transformed.

The young Wanli Emperor's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Zhang Juzheng, asking, "Prime Minister, what do you think?"

Zhang Juzheng paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "In my opinion, this assignment is excellent."

This kind of assignment was actually the most suitable for Hai Rui.

It has almost no impact on the new policy.

If local censors, under Hai Rui's supervision, could possess even half of Hai Rui's integrity and work ethic, the imperial court would be satisfied.

This is a good way to rectify the atmosphere in officialdom.

The censors were not afraid of others, but they were absolutely terrified of Hai Rui.

As the saying goes: A person's name is like the shadow of a tree.

Other censors might write an impeachment memorial, but no one would pay attention.

But Hai Rui was different. As long as Hai Rui wrote, his works could spread throughout the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and be passed down to future generations.

This is precisely why everyone fears Hai Rui.

at the same time.

The censors of the Censorate all had dark faces. With Hai Rui wielding a whip and urging them on, they had no choice but to fight desperately.

Some of the censors from the Censorate looked at Shen Nian, feeling an urge to kill him.

The tasks I'm about to be assigned will definitely be tough!

And this moment.

Emperor Wanli, along with the four Grand Secretaries Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, Ma Ziqiang, and Yin Zhengmao, all wore smiles.

This assignment was practically tailor-made for Hai Rui.

After the regular court.

Emperor Wanli then ordered the cabinet to draft an imperial edict, commanding Hai Rui to return to the capital immediately. After reporting on the situation in Shanxi, Hai Rui could begin his journey as an inspector of the two capitals and thirteen provinces.

At present, Hai Rui can only be a lone hero.

……

Five days later, Hai Rui, who was in Shanxi, received an imperial edict from the court.

He never expected that the imperial court would tailor such a wonderful job for him.

this moment.

He was full of ambition and felt he could serve the Ming Dynasty for another ten years.

Immediately, Hai Rui, with tears streaming down his face, knelt down in the direction of the capital and kowtowed to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace.

(End of this chapter)