I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 158 The Mad Grand Secretary Yin! The Mad Lecturer Shen!

Dusk.

Tongzhou, Matouji Ferry.

As Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian arrived at the grain transport boats moored on the banks of the North Canal.

Ding Yuanzhi, the thirty-eight-year-old prefectural judge of Tongzhou and concurrently the prefectural judge in charge of the Tongzhou section of the canal, stepped off the canal boat dressed in the official robes of a seventh-rank official.

Behind him.

A large group of people carrying tools such as poles, oars, carrying poles, and short sticks followed.

at the same time.

Shi Qing, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, led a group of Embroidered Uniform Guards to surround Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian.

If anything happens to either of them, neither of them can get hurt.

Sun Shiliang, the commander of Tongzhou, led a group of soldiers armed with swords, spears, and bows and arrows, ready to make their move.

Just when the two sides were about fifty paces apart.

Ding Yuanzhi turned around and gestured to the people following him that they should not go any further.

After these people stopped.

Ding Yuanzhi strode to a spot about ten steps away from Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian.

He first glanced at Yin Zhengmao.

He had never met Yin Zhengmao, but he had met Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang. Therefore, upon seeing the official robes, he immediately guessed that the person was Yin Zhengmao, the newly promoted cabinet minister and Minister of Revenue.

immediately.

His eyes met Shen Nian's. Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, they could still recognize each other at first glance.

He was somewhat surprised when he saw Shen Nian.

I never expected that Shen Nian, a Hanlin official, would come here from the Forbidden City.

Immediately.

Ding Yuanzhi knelt on both knees and said loudly, "Ding Yuanzhi, Prefect of Tongzhou and Prefect of Tongzhou Section of the River Management Office, pays respects to Grand Secretary Yin and Lecturer Shen!"

The fact that he could still maintain such official decorum at this time clearly indicates that he was not planning a rebellion.

Yin Zhengmao took a few steps forward and said coldly, "Ding Yuanzhi, since you still bow to me as an official, it means you still acknowledge that you are an official of the court. Quickly release the four people on the boat, then order all the people on the cargo ship to disembark, and then we will talk again!"

Ding Yuanzhi raised his head.

"Lord Yin, please forgive me for being unable to comply. Please listen to what I have to say before you speak."

Yin Zhengmao glared and said, "By tying them up, you are an organizer of a riot, a rebel on the Grand Canal! I do not negotiate with rebels; I only annihilate them. Release them immediately, and then order all the people to disembark. You have no right to negotiate with me now!"

Yin Zhengmao exuded a strong murderous aura.

He came representing the imperial court, so naturally he could not compromise with a mere seventh-rank prefectural judge.

Upon hearing this, Ding Yuanzhi remained motionless.

The people behind quickly gathered around.

Among them was an elderly man with gray hair, a hunched back, and who looked to be over seventy years old. He held up a carrying pole, pointed at Yin Zhengmao, and cursed, "You...you...if you dare to harm Judge Ding, we...we will fight you to the death!"

"Yes, fight to the death!" The people behind them raised their weapons and shouted.

Yin Zhengmao frowned slightly.

This is an uprising, an act of defiance against the imperial court. It cannot be resolved without severe punishment.

At this time.

Wang Yi, the prefect of Tongzhou, suddenly gave Sun Shiliang, the commander of Tongzhou, a hard shove.

Caught off guard, Sun Shiliang stood in front of Yin Zhengmao and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "This humble general will obey Elder Yin's orders!"

Yin Zhengmao looked at Ding Yuanzhi and glared at him again, saying, "Release them or not? Get off the ship or not?"

Ding Yuanzhi shook his head resolutely.

Yin Zhengmao was furious and said, "Arrest Ding Yuanzhi immediately! Anyone who dares to obstruct us, drive them away with a flurry of blows! Anyone who resists with weapons, kill them on the spot!"

Yin Zhengmao was well aware of the importance of the Grand Canal.

Seeing how arrogant these people were, they had no choice but to immediately arrest their leader, Ding Yuanzhi.

Suddenly.

The soldiers behind them moved, and the civilians in front used various tools to protect Ding Yuanzhi.

A brawl is about to break out.

Shen Nian quickly turned to Yin Zhengmao and said, "Grand Secretary Yin, Ding Yuanzhi is my classmate. May I offer him some advice?"

Yin Zhengmao nodded slightly, then gestured for the soldiers to remain still.

Shen Nian took two steps forward.

“Brother Peichu, once the people take action, they will become rebels. Behind each person is a family. Can you bear to see so many families torn apart?”

"Since you want to negotiate with the cabinet ministers, then you have no intention of rebelling. You should trust that Grand Secretary Yin can uphold justice for you. Whatever your unspeakable difficulties, they will be properly resolved today!"

"If these four deserve to die, they will definitely not escape the court's punishment. Wearing this official robe, you should have a good talk with Grand Secretary Yin as an official. Trust the court; for now, you can only trust the court and trust Grand Secretary Yin!"

After pondering for a moment, Ding Yuanzhi looked at Shen Nian.

"Ziheng, I am willing to bind my own hands and come before you as a criminal to be interrogated by Grand Secretary Yin, but those four cannot be released. If the court will not let them die, I will make them die today!"

"As for the people on the boat, don't worry, they won't burn the grain. I said they were burning the grain just to get the court to pay attention. They will still have to rely on the grain transport for their livelihood in the future."

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian turned to look at Yin Zhengmao.

Yin Zhengmao nodded.

When Ding Yuanzhi, a disgraced official, came before him, the negotiation turned into a trial.

With the added assurance that the people would not burn the grain, Yin Zhengmao's anxiety subsided.

After a while.

After whispering a few words to the elderly man behind him, Ding Yuanzhi ordered a commoner to tie his hands and then walked towards Yin Zhengmao.

Sun Shiliang, the commander of Tongzhou, quickly ordered two soldiers to bring Ding Yuanzhi over.

"Set up a courtroom and begin the proceedings!" Yin Zhengmao shouted.

Immediately, two tables and chairs were moved over.

Yin Zhengmao sat in the center to conduct the interrogation, while Shen Nian was responsible for recording the testimonies. Yin Zhengmao looked at Ding Yuanzhi and asked, "Ding Yuanzhi, as the prefectural judge of Tongzhou and the prefectural judge in charge of the Tongzhou section of the canal, your main responsibilities are the management of grain transport and the dredging of the canal. Why did you incite the river workers to hold hostage a group of canal officials in Tongzhou and forcibly seize the grain transport boats, causing the North Canal to stop operating!"

Ding Zhengzhi shouted, "For the lives of thousands of people on the North Canal, to let the world know how dirty the canal transport is now, and to get the court to issue regulations and systems to treat canal workers well because of this incident!"

"Explain in detail," Yin Zhengmao said with a serious expression.

"Every year from May to August is the busiest time for the North Canal. The canal is crowded with cargo ships, and the porters and boatmen often have to load and unload day and night."

"Recently, the weather has been particularly hot. After a meeting with the convicted officials, Gao Jin, the eunuch of the Tongzhou granary, Qin Cheng, the imperial inspector of the grain transport, Duan Shutang, the secretary of the grain office of the Ministry of Revenue, and Peng Jiushan, the secretary of the Tonghui River of the Ministry of Works, suggested that in order to meet the performance evaluation of the grain transport, they should forcibly conscript thousands of people along the river to load and unload the grain and drag the grain boats."

“Three days ago, at noon, hundreds of people suffered heatstroke and fell into the river, some even dying. This guilty subject humbly requests a rest at noon and in the afternoon, but all four refuse; this guilty subject humbly requests an increase in monthly allowances, but all four refuse; this guilty subject humbly requests more rice in daily meals, but all four still refuse!”

“Yesterday afternoon, some commoners were carrying boxes of goods when they accidentally fell and discovered that the boxes contained smuggled goods, including silk, tea, lacquerware, spices, and medicinal herbs. These luxury items were not tributes to the court, but rather the property of those four people. This guilty subject has account books to prove it.”

"Your Majesty knows that many people smuggle contraband on the grain transport boats, but most of them are just some of the porters. This is because their monthly wages are too low and the imperial court's supplies are not timely. This is the case throughout the entire canal. I can turn a blind eye to this, but these four people have really gone too far. The amount they smuggled is so large that it is truly rare!"

"On that day, these contraband goods were looted by some people. Those four men came to the canal boat with me. After learning the truth, I was very angry, but I knew that the canal transport could not be disrupted. Therefore, I suggested that the four men give back to the people. They only needed to increase the monthly wages of the laborers at the Matouji ferry by 30% and allow them to rest for an hour at noon. Then, I would pretend that I had not seen this. I would appease them myself!"

"However, the four men refused and planned to kill all the people who saw their smuggled goods on the pretext of 'heatstroke and falling into the river.' I was quite astonished. They could have gotten away with this by offering a little concession, but they didn't care about the lives of the people at all. I had a fierce argument with them. The four men were furious and ordered their men to put me in a sack, fill it with stones, and throw me into the river. I was rescued by the river workers. With no other choice, I joined forces with them and tied up all four men!"

……

"This humble servant knows that kidnapping four superiors, instigating a popular riot, and disrupting the canal transport order are capital offenses. However, if my death can make the world see the hardships of the canal workers, save more lives, and lead the court to enact regulations to treat canal workers well, then it will be worthwhile!"

Yin Zhengmao, his face dark, looked at Wang Yi, the prefect of Tongzhou, who was standing to the side. The situation he reported was very different from what Ding Yuanzhi had said.

"Prefect Wang, are you really completely unaware of the details of this matter?"

Pfft!
Wang Yi knelt on the ground and said, "Grand Secretary Yin, this official... this official is busy with the livelihood of Tongzhou and the affairs of the Grand Canal. This official... this official... has no say in this matter!"

"Humph!"

Yin Zhengmao snorted coldly, then looked at Ding Yuanzhi.

"Ding Yuanzhi, are you confused! Even if reporting to this muddle-headed prefect is useless, the Forbidden City isn't far away. Can't you just send someone to the capital's government offices to report? It would take less than half a day. The Six Ministries, the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate—a whole bunch of officials from the Censorate—which one of them can't make decisions for you? Why do you have to go to such extremes?"

Ding Yuanzhi looked helpless.

"Grand Secretary Yin, let alone that I am in Tongzhou, even if I lived in front of the Meridian Gate, given my official rank, I would probably find it difficult to deliver the memorial impeaching these four people to the person who can punish them!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhengmao was speechless.

People are different.

Gao Jin, the eunuch in Tongzhou Granary, had the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard as his backers.

Qin Cheng, the Imperial Censor in charge of transporting grain, was a veteran official who spoke out against injustice.

The other two were a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue and a secretary in the Ministry of Works.

When they joined forces, they could indeed render a small, seventh-rank prefectural judge helpless.

His memorials would be suppressed as soon as they reached the capital.

At that moment, Ding Yuanzhi raised his head.

"Lord Yin, I served as the prefectural judge of Tongzhou for two years and witnessed many ugly things on the Grand Canal, but I dared not speak out, and I suffered greatly."

"This humble subject knows that even if I were to submit a memorial now, a single impeachment would only result in the severe punishment of a few corrupt officials, which would be of no benefit to the people along the canal. Rather, this humble subject would make a big fuss about this!"

"The reason this sinful subject is unwilling to release these four people is because this sinful subject is unwilling to let them be tried and sentenced by the imperial court. This sinful subject wants to end their lives personally!"

“This sinful subject wants to show all the officials in charge of the Grand Canal that they treat the people like livestock and that some of them dare to kill them.”

"This humble subject hopes that this matter will spread throughout the land, and that the court will enact some regulations to treat the lower-level canal workers well because of this incident. They don't ask for much; they would be content if they could rest for an hour when it's too hot in the summer and be given a cotton coat when they are pulling the canal boats in the winter!"

Immediately afterwards, Ding Yuanzhi cupped his hands in greeting to Yin Zhengmao.

"Grand Secretary Yin, I know my life is in danger, but I have one request. The man who spoke to me just now was named Liu Bo. His son and grandson died on this river, and he is now destitute. I entrusted him with the task of killing the four men. He is already seventy-three years old and probably won't live much longer. I hope the court can spare his life!"

After saying that, Ding Yuanzhi kowtowed his head to the ground.

At this moment, Yin Zhengmao, Shen Nian, and Shi Qing's eyes were slightly red.

Ding Yuanzhi insisted on killing the four people in order to make a big fuss about the matter, so that the whole world would know about it and the court would have to treat the people better in order to maintain stability.

He was willing to sacrifice his life for this.

"Dingzhou is found not guilty! Dingzhou is found not guilty! Dingzhou is found not guilty!" shouted the people, and even the people watching behind Shen Nian joined in the shouting.

At this moment, Yin Zhengmao frowned slightly.

He absolutely would not allow these four people to die at Ding Yuanzhi's hands.

Killing someone before any investigation or evidence is presented violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty and would leave the case without sufficient evidence.

but.

He also wanted to make a big fuss about this matter, so that the whole world would know about it and the imperial court would introduce a policy to appease the laborers working on the canal.

Swish!
at this time.

Yin Zhengmao suddenly walked up to Sun Shiliang, the commander of Tongzhou, and drew his sword.

This action startled everyone around.

Shen Nian was taken aback at first, then a look of excitement appeared on her face.

Yin Zhengmao looked at Ding Yuanzhi and said, "Didn't you want to kill those four people? I'll grant your wish!"

"Next, I will continue the investigation. If what you say is true, and the four confess their crimes, I will personally take up my knife and behead them!"

As soon as these words came out.

Wang Yi, the prefect of Tongzhou, who was standing nearby, hurriedly said, "Grand Secretary Yin, you must not, you must not!"

After investigating the evidence, Yin Zhengmao should have escorted the guilty official to the capital for review by the Court of Judicial Review, but instead, he killed him without authorization, which is a serious crime.

That's enough to make Yin Zhengmao leave the cabinet again!

However, Shen Nian agreed with this approach. He stepped forward and said, "Elder Yin, you kill two, and I'll kill two, how about that?"

Shen Nian looked at Ding Yuanzhi.

"Didn't you want to make a big fuss about this, create public opinion, and attract the attention of the court and the people of the world? How can a riot caused by a seventh-rank prefectural judge leading the people to hold his superior hostage be as impactful as the beheading of a Grand Secretary and a Hanlin lecturer, who is His Majesty's daily lecturer at the Imperial Academy, on the banks of the Grand Canal?"

Wang Yi, the prefect of Tongzhou, was somewhat bewildered; he felt that the two men had gone mad.

If either of them dared to do this, no matter how favored they were, they would be severely punished by the court.

Ding Yuanzhi raised his head, looked at Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian, who were both looking serious, and suddenly smiled.

He thought he was very lonely and wanted to go crazy one last time before he died, but he never expected to meet two like-minded people.

Moreover, the two of them were even crazier than him.

(End of this chapter)