I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 169 Orphans and Widows vs. Ministers Who Die for Their Opposition! A Shameful Moment for the Ming Dynasty's Ruler and Ministers

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the chief officials of the three judicial departments had been kneeling for nearly half an hour.

Shen Nian had been waiting outside.

Just then, Zhang Juzheng walked over from the side hall with a gloomy expression.

Observe his expression.

Clearly, no agreement was reached with the young Wanli Emperor.

He said to Chen Zan, Lu Guangzu, and Liu Yingjie, "Stop kneeling, let's go back to the cabinet to discuss this!"

The four of them immediately headed toward the cabinet.

Shen Nian was to record today's daily activities according to Zhang Juzheng's words, so she followed behind.

……

A moment later, the Cabinet Office was in session.

The three Grand Secretaries, the three chief officials of the three judicial departments, and Shen Nian, a total of seven people, gathered together.

Zhang Juzheng explained the current situation.

At this moment, what can be confirmed, or rather, must be confirmed, is:

After being interrogated by Emperor Xiao Wanli and the Northern Garrison Command, it was found that Marquis Wuqing Li Wei was only guilty of accepting bribes. The mastermind behind the alteration of the death row inmate's file was Sun Desheng, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. He was also the one who killed Xu Sanniang out of fear that the matter would be exposed.

With the emperor overseeing the trial, officials could not overturn the verdict without other irrefutable evidence.

Zhang Juzheng also had no intention of overthrowing him.

If Wu Qingbo is identified as the mastermind behind tampering with death row inmate files, he will certainly face the death penalty.

How could the young Wanli Emperor possibly sentence his maternal grandfather to death!
Shen Nian understood that Zhang Juzheng and the three judicial departments agreeing to this trial result was already a significant step back for the overall new policy.

The conflict between the young Wanli Emperor and them lay in how to deal with the bribery crime of Li Wei, the Earl of Wuqing.

After arguing with Zhang Juzheng, the young Wanli Emperor's bottom line changed to: he would at most agree to deduct the salary of the Earl of Wuqing for three years, and agree not to promote him to Marquis of Wuqing within three years.

You need to know.

According to Empress Dowager Li and the young Wanli Emperor's plan, after the young Wanli Emperor gets married early next year, the Earl of Wuqing will be promoted to Marquis of Wuqing.

Zhang Juzheng was not satisfied with this result, nor were the three chief officials of the Three Judicial Offices.

Shen Nian was also dissatisfied.

For the Earl of Wuqing, being fined three years' salary was tantamount to no punishment at all.

He also believed that even if he was not expelled from the capital, his title should be stripped.

Unfortunately, the young Wanli Emperor was too protective of his own.

Over the years, the young Wanli Emperor not only received education from daily lecturers such as Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian, but also from Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao.

Although the young Wanli Emperor was dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Li's strict control over him, they were, after all, family.

Filial piety in his heart.

It means treating Empress Dowager Li, Earl of Wuqing, and Prince Lu, the three closest people to us, with kindness.

At this moment, it is simply impossible for him to put aside his own family for the greater good.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, "His Majesty's attitude is firm, and there is no way he would agree to strip the Earl of Wuqing of his title. Everyone, think about what we should do next?"

Liu Yingjie's expression was serious.

“My lords, we acknowledge that the Earl of Wuqing is only guilty of accepting bribes, which is already a lenient act to protect the overall situation and for the sake of the new policies. If he is punished so lightly, then… what use is the Great Ming Law? How will we restrain those imperial relatives in the future? I am willing to die to remonstrate and will never compromise!”

"Your humble servant seconds this!" Chen Zan and Lu Guangzu said simultaneously, cupping their hands in greeting.

From the side, Lü Diaoyang spoke up: "His Majesty's punishment is indeed too lenient. I suggest that we have the court officials discuss this case publicly and force His Majesty to compromise!"

“I think it’s a good idea. This kind of thing should involve the censors and officials, so that His Majesty can realize the importance of the issue. His Majesty is too familiar with you all, which is why he dares to be so willful. If all the officials in the court oppose lenient punishment, I don’t believe His Majesty can still go his own way?” Ma Ziqiang also spoke up.

Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly.

"That's a possibility, but given His Majesty's temperament, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to compromise!"

“Whether His Majesty compromises or not is his business, but as his subjects, we should remonstrate with him to the death, so that His Majesty will not dare to act so recklessly and disregard the Great Ming Code in the future!” Chen Zan said.

Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a moment, then looked at Shen Nian.

"Ziheng, you know His Majesty best. Do you think he will compromise?"

Shen Nian cupped his hands and said, "Whether His Majesty compromises or not is not important. What is important is that we must do this, otherwise such things may happen a second or third time. Only if we are strong enough this time will His Majesty not continue to make mistakes. In addition, even if we cannot severely punish Wu Qingbo this time, if he makes a big mistake again next time, His Majesty cannot protect him like this!"

Shen Nian thought for a moment and then said, "This humble official suggests that the cabinet should take a hands-off approach this time. When the officials have discussed the matter, the cabinet should hand it over to His Majesty to handle. Otherwise, the court will really be in chaos!"

Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, and Ma Ziqiang were taken aback at first, then they all nodded in agreement.

This case cannot be a conflict between imperial power and the cabinet.

If the cabinet takes the lead, the entire court will be in chaos. The cabinet should act as a referee to mediate the matter and prevent it from escalating to an unsolvable point.

After a while.

Zhang Juzheng, Lü Diaoyang, and Ma Ziqiang came to the Wenhua Hall and reported to the young Wanli Emperor: This case has attracted much attention from officials, and they request that the case be discussed publicly so that the young Wanli Emperor can also hear the thoughts of the entire court.

Emperor Wanli had no reason to refuse.

Once the matter is discussed publicly, the charge that "the Earl of Wuqing was merely accepting bribes" will be confirmed, something that the young Wanli Emperor was more than happy to accept.

……

September 4th, early morning.

The three judicial departments announced the results of the trial of the case of altering the death row inmate files in Hejian Prefecture and publicized the punishment decision for the young Wanli Emperor.

This move.

It was like a large stone falling in the middle of a lake, instantly causing a huge uproar.

"Embezzling ten thousand taels of silver and suspected of interfering with the laws of my Great Ming Dynasty, and being punished with a one-year salary deduction? This punishment is far too lenient, and I cannot accept it!"

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! If we had committed this crime, our heads would be gone by now. Why should the Marquis of Wuqing have such privileges? I will petition against it!"

"I agree with the verdict of the three judicial authorities: strip him of his title, demote him to a commoner, and banish him from the capital!"

……

Of course, there were also officials who spoke up for the Earl of Wuqing.

"Lord Wuqing only meant well but made a mistake. Ten thousand taels of silver is nothing to him. Besides, it was money his steward collected, and he just didn't return it. This punishment is enough!"

"Strip His Majesty of his title of Earl of Wuqing and banish him from the capital? Are you ordering His Majesty to commit an act of filial impiety?"

"His Majesty's supervision and the Zhenfu Division's interrogation have thoroughly investigated this case. The charges against the imperial relatives were ultimately decided by His Majesty. Are those who demand severe punishment questioning His Majesty?"

……

Also.

There were also impeachments against Zhang Juzheng, Ma Ziqiang, Shen Shixing, Shen Nian, and other Japanese lecturers.

They believed that the young Wanli Emperor's favoritism and willful behavior stemmed from problems in his upbringing.

"The failure to teach strictly is the fault of the daily lecturers! These lecturers have been teaching His Majesty for years, yet they still haven't been able to teach His Majesty to distinguish between public and private matters. They should be the ones severely punished. Some of them are simply not fit to serve as daily lecturers!"

……

In less than half a day.

Emperor Wanli's desk was piled high with memorials.

Zhang Juzheng's unified draft resolution for these memorials was: "These involve cases concerning relatives of the empress; we humbly request Your Majesty to make the decision!"

Some officials in the imperial censorate, seeing that their memorials had been retained, immediately wrote a second and a third, and presented them to the imperial court.

The more they write, the better their performance evaluation will be, so they put in all their effort and keep writing.

present.

The only way to change the emperor's mind is through the collective wisdom and efforts of all civil and military officials.

However, the current officials are not so united.

That evening, officials got into an argument near the Meridian Gate due to differing opinions.

An argument between two people can quickly escalate into a group argument.

The scene was extremely intense.

If it weren't for the Imperial Guards stopping them, a fight might have broken out, and blood might have been drawn.

……

The next morning.

When the young Wanli Emperor retained their memorials, a group of censors who opposed the lenient punishment of the Earl of Wuqing knelt before the Huangji Gate, led by Chen Zan, Lu Guangzu, and Liu Yingjie, and begged the young Wanli Emperor to severely punish the Earl of Wuqing.

This kind of behavior.

This was an extreme measure taken by officials after their remonstrances were rejected. In the Jiajing reign, doing so almost always resulted in at least forty strokes of the cane in court. If someone was not caned, it meant that such actions had caused the emperor to compromise.

More than thirty officials knelt before the Huangji Gate until nearly noon.

News has arrived from within the Forbidden City.

Empress Dowager Li has started a hunger strike, beginning yesterday at noon.

Empress Dowager Li claimed that her father had committed a mistake, and she wanted to take the blame for him. Her hunger strike was to reduce the punishment for her father, the Earl of Wuqing.

At the same time, the young Wanli Emperor also went on a hunger strike.

The young Wanli Emperor claimed he wanted to take the blame for his mother, and his hunger strike was also to reduce the punishment of his maternal grandfather, the Earl of Wuqing.

This move was almost impossible to counter, leaving the officials somewhat dumbfounded.

When Zhang Juzheng heard this news, he almost fainted from anger.

Such a shameless tactic as hunger strike should never be used by the current Empress Dowager and Emperor.

But he had to admit that this tactic was very effective.

This was most likely Feng Bao's idea.

soon.

Officials then impeached the officials kneeling at the Huangji Gate, claiming that they had forced the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to go on a hunger strike, which was a great disrespect and should be severely punished.

……

September 5th, a full day.

Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Wanli did not eat any food. For the sake of the Earl of Wuqing, this mother and son were willing to go against the court officials.

at the same time.

The number of officials kneeling at the Huangji Gate has decreased from more than thirty to more than twenty.

Some officials knelt down simply to meet performance targets, but they didn't expect the incident to escalate so much, and they immediately backed down.

……

On the sixth day of the ninth month, at dawn, during the usual morning court session.

Emperor Wanli cancelled the court assembly, citing a cold as the reason.

They completely ignored the officials who knelt down at the Imperial Gate on time and the memorials they presented.

……

Near noon.

Only a dozen or so officials remained kneeling at the Huangji Gate.

Chen Zan, Lu Guangzu, and Liu Yingjie launched a counterattack, kneeling before the Huangji Gate and writing a joint memorial.

They claimed that the three men, for the sake of the fairness of the Ming Dynasty's justice system, caused the Empress Dowager and Emperor Wanli to go on a hunger strike, and that they deserved to die. They requested that the court execute the three men and then severely punish the Earl of Wuqing.

This isn't seeking death; it's inciting trouble.

This was a protest against Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Wanli's hunger strike.

No matter how absurd Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Wanli were, they could not possibly execute all three chief officials of the Three Judicial Offices at once.

After these three people expressed their stance, more than ten more officials knelt down to remonstrate at the Huangji Gate.

of course.

Some officials who did not kneel in remonstrance also opposed the lenient punishment of the Earl of Wuqing.

They kept submitting memorials, hoping that the young Wanli Emperor would understand the greater good and distinguish between public and private matters.

Shen Nian and several colleagues from the Hanlin Academy felt that kneeling in remonstrance was too extreme, but they still jointly submitted a memorial stating that the punishment was too lenient.

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

Emperor Wanli looked at the memorials opposing his lenient punishment of the Earl of Wuqing, his face turning ashen.

He hadn't expected the opposition to be so strong.

"Your Majesty, this matter is no longer just a debate about the conviction of the Earl of Wuqing, but a struggle between imperial power and the power of the ministers. In the future, how long it will take for Your Majesty to fully control the government after assuming personal rule may depend on whether Your Majesty can get them to compromise this time!"

The young Wanli Emperor nodded slightly and said, "I will definitely make them compromise."

Emperor Wanli actually knew he was in the wrong.

But in his eyes, the Earl of Wuqing was his closest relative, and he could not let Empress Dowager Li be sad, so he was determined to protect the Earl of Wuqing.

Meanwhile, Feng Bao was not idle either.

He kept ordering people to spread the word.

It is said that Empress Dowager Li was crying in Kunning Palace, saying that all the civil and military officials were bullying her and her child.

It is said that the young Wanli Emperor knelt before the portrait of the late emperor with tears in his eyes, saying that he was now all alone.

After such words were spread.

Some officials who wanted to show their loyalty to the young Wanli Emperor argued again with those who opposed lenient punishment.

They even got into a fight inside the government office.

In less than an afternoon, four brawls broke out among officials in the capital's government offices.

When Zhang Juzheng learned of this, he was furious.

When he was the Grand Secretary, his first feeling about such a thing happening in the court was that it was extremely shameful.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor went on a hunger strike—how shameful!

It's shameful for an official to kneel down and die in remonstrance at the Huangji Gate!
Many officials argued and fought, and frequently used foul language, which was even more shameful!
……

On the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, everything remained the same.

Empress Dowager Li and the young Wanli Emperor continued their hunger strike, while the more than twenty officials kneeling at the Huangji Gate also began to refuse food and drink.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

At this point, Zhang Juzheng was the first to find it unbearable.

If this matter drags on for half a month, the Ming Dynasty's government will be in ruins.

This situation.

Those who care about the Ming Dynasty are more likely to compromise; those who consider the overall situation are more likely to compromise; those who want the new policies of the Ming Dynasty to remain unaffected are more likely to compromise!

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was ready to compromise!

……

Cabinet value.

Zhang Juzheng summoned all the other cabinet ministers, heads of the six ministries, and heads of the Hanlin Academy, the Court of State Ceremonies, the Imperial Academy, and other government offices.

These were all officials who opposed leniently punishing the Earl of Wuqing.

"Gentlemen, if this matter continues to escalate, the affairs of the court will become impossible to function, the new policies and reforms will be impossible to carry out, and His Majesty and the officials will become completely adversaries. This will do nothing but harm. If this continues, the court will face serious problems!"

"It's not worth it for the sake of the Marquis of Wuqing. We've already made a huge fuss about this. If the Marquis of Wuqing violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty again in the future, I believe that the Empress Dowager and His Majesty will have no reason to protect him and will not protect him. Let His Majesty win this time!"

"Next, I will adjust His Majesty's daily lectures to make him understand the difference between public and private matters, and the importance of the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

……

After speaking, Zhang Juzheng bowed deeply to the officials. As the chief minister, he had to be the one who could clean up the mess.

"This humble official has no objection!"

"This humble official has no objection!"

"This humble official has no objection!"

……

The officials seconded the motion.

To save face for the greater good, they could only tolerate it once, and only once.

Next.

They will closely monitor Wu Qingbo, and will report him immediately if he violates any laws.

immediately.

Zhang Juzheng strode towards the Huangji Gate.

At that moment, he suddenly felt that he had aged a lot, and for the first time, the thought of retiring from officialdom crossed his mind.

(End of this chapter)