I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 170 Three Kneels in the Forbidden City! Zhang Taiyue, the Pillar of the Ming Dynasty and the Savior of the Nation
Afternoon, at the Huangji Gate.

Zhang Juzheng approached the more than twenty officials who were kneeling in remonstrance.

Following behind him were a group of officials including Lü Diaoyang, Ma Ziqiang, Yin Zhengmao, Shen Shixing, and Wang Xijue.

The three leaders, Chen Zan, Lu Guangzu, and Liu Yingjie, all raised their heads, knowing that this matter should have a resolution.

If the stalemate continues...

If either Empress Dowager Li or Emperor Wanli were to suffer a health ailment, it would be a grave sin on their part.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the officials, sighed deeply, and then made a move that no one expected.

Swish!
Zhang Juzheng lifted the hem of his official robe and suddenly knelt before Chen Zan and other officials.

The officials were horrified.

As the Grand Secretary of the court, Zhang Juzheng was expected to kneel before Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, his teachers, and his parents, yet he had no reason to kneel before them.

They couldn't accept such a kneeling.

"Grand Secretary Zhang, what... what... what is this?" Chen Zan, who was closest to Zhang Juzheng, asked with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Juzheng knelt on the ground, his face solemn, looking around.

"You knelt for the sake of the fairness of the Ming Dynasty's laws, and to let His Majesty know that the court's laws are above all else. You did nothing wrong!"

"And I, Zhang Juzheng, am kneeling before you now for the sake of the new policies and reforms, for the stability of the court, and for the sake of the overall situation."

"His Majesty is young and a rough gem waiting to be polished. It is my fault as Zhang Juzheng in failing to educate him properly, and the main responsibility lies with me."

"Now that the new policies of the Ming Dynasty have just been implemented, we must not allow a repeat of the controversy surrounding the Great Rites Controversy in the early years of the Jiajing reign. We cannot let this go on any longer. Gentlemen, please rise. I will settle this matter today!"

……

Upon hearing about the controversy surrounding the Great Rites Controversy, some officials couldn't help but change their expressions.

The Great Rites Controversy directly resulted in the imprisonment of more than 100 officials below the fifth rank, the suspension of more than 80 officials above the fourth rank pending punishment, and the death of 16 officials by caning in court.

Although the young Wanli Emperor does not possess the absolute power of the Jiajing Emperor, if the conflict between the emperor and his ministers escalates to that point, it will shake the Ming Dynasty and bring nothing but harm.

Say it.

Zhang Juzheng lowered his head and bowed deeply to the officials.

The meaning is obvious.

The officials who knelt to remonstrate did not rise, so Zhang Juzheng did not stand up either.

Once the officials who had knelt in remonstrance stood up, it signified their compromise with the young Wanli Emperor.

Zhang Juzheng's act of kneeling was destined to be recorded in history.

Chen Zan, Lu Guangzu, and Liu Yingjie, who were at the forefront, exchanged glances and nodded helplessly to each other.

Given the current situation, they have no choice but to compromise.

immediately.

The three slowly stood up, and then Chen Zan said to the officials behind him, "Gentlemen, please get up. Let's wait for Grand Secretary Zhang to give us a result."

The officials knew that once they stood up, it meant that the young Wanli Emperor had won.

But Zhang Juzheng, the only one who could handle this matter, was already kneeling here.

If this continues, no one will be able to resolve the issue.

Immediately, all the officials who had been kneeling in remonstrance stood up.

Lean slightly.

Chen Zan and Lu Guangzu helped Zhang Juzheng up.

Seeing that everyone had stood up, Zhang Juzheng immediately bowed deeply to them, then looked at a cabinet clerk beside him and said, "Order Shen Nian, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, and Wang Jiaping, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, to go to the Wenhua Hall immediately as recorders of the emperor's daily activities!"

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng strode towards the Wenhua Hall ahead.

Although Zhang Juzheng compromised, he still wanted to teach the young Wanli Emperor a lesson and record this event in history.

The officials gazed at Zhang Juzheng's imposing figure, their feelings a complex mix.

The current problems that the court is struggling to resolve can only be solved by Zhang Juzheng. Without Zhang Juzheng, this incident would have been enough to throw the court into chaos.

The young Wanli Emperor was still too immature.

……

At this moment, inside the Wenhua Hall.

Empress Dowager Li sat behind a curtain, while the young Wanli Emperor sat on his throne, with Feng Bao standing beside him.

All three of them were very nervous.

They never expected things to escalate to this point, but only by continuing their hunger strike could they force the officials to compromise and save the Earl of Wuqing.

The young Wanli Emperor knew he was wrong and even considered compromising and admitting his mistake.

But in the end, he still believed that family ties were above all else and that he must not let his mother be sad.

at this time.

A young eunuch hurried into the main hall.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the officials who were kneeling to remonstrate have all risen! The officials who were kneeling to remonstrate have all risen!"

The three young emperors were overjoyed, and getting up meant they had compromised.

Why did you suddenly get up?

"Grand Secretary Zhang knelt before the Imperial Gate and pleaded with the officials!"

Emperor Wanli sighed and murmured, "The Grand Secretary's heart is still with me."

The young eunuch continued, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Zhang is already heading towards the Wenhua Hall, and... and... he has ordered Hanlin Lecturer Shen Nian and Hanlin Compiler Wang Jiaping to also go to the Wenhua Hall as recorders of daily life. Should we stop them?"

The young Wanli hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No need to stop me. I can't hide the fact that I've done something so capricious!" The young Wanli Emperor deliberately raised his voice when he said this.

He wanted to inform Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao.

Although they won against the court officials, they lost the moral high ground.

……

After receiving the order, Wang Jiaping and Shen Nian quickly arrived outside the Wenhua Hall, where Zhang Juzheng was waiting for them.

Although the two were not under the Huangji Sect, they kept a close eye on what was happening there.

They all knew that Zhang Juzheng knelt and pleaded with the officials, and they also knew that this dispute was about to end with the victory of the imperial power.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Jiaping and Shen Nian and said, "From now on, you must fulfill your duties as the recorders of the emperor's daily activities!"

"Your humble servant obeys!" Wang Jiaping and Shen Nian bowed deeply.

Only by recording this event in history can it serve as a warning to the young Wanli Emperor and to future emperors.

Shen Nian and Wang Jiaping naturally had to record the facts truthfully, without bias or omission of a single word.

……

After a while.

Zhang Juzheng, Wang Jiaping, and Shen Nian entered the hall.

Empress Dowager Li was not seen behind the curtain behind the throne. Knowing that she had done something wrong, she did not want to hear Zhang Juzheng's veiled criticism of her, so she hid behind it.

Standing behind, she could still hear Zhang Juzheng's words.

Feng Bao remained standing in the same spot.

In his eyes, all his actions were correct because he had regained the trust of Empress Dowager Li and the young emperor.

When the officials stand against the emperor.

He stood by Empress Dowager Li and the young Wanli Emperor's side to protect them, and he devised strategies to safeguard the young Wanli Emperor's interests.

He remained the most loyal companion of the young Wanli Emperor.

Wang Jiaping and Shen Nian quickly stood on the southeast side of the throne. The fact that the two of them were recording the emperor's daily life meant that what was about to happen was very important and would definitely be recorded in history.

Swish!
Zhang Juzheng lightly lifted the hem of his official robe and knelt on the ground.

The young Wanli Emperor quickly said, "Prime Minister, please rise!"

The past.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng would immediately stand up.

But this time, Zhang Juzheng knelt and refused to rise.

He straightened his back and looked at the young Wanli Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to kneel and speak this time!"

"The law is a public instrument of the world, not the private power of one person. In the ancient times of Tang and Yu, Gao Yao served as a judge and enforced the law without sparing relatives or nobles."

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of ten thousand chariots, should take Yao and Shun as your models and Jie and Zhou as your warnings. If you put private interests before public ones, the laws will inevitably fall into disarray and the people will become disaffected!"

……

"Can the kin of the imperial family be as close as the kinship of our ancestors? Although meritorious officials are powerful, can they be as important as the state?"

"Today, we have compromised entirely because Your Majesty is young. In judging people's conduct, nothing is more important than filial piety. However, blind filial piety is unacceptable, and it cannot supersede the law. We urge Your Majesty to remember this!"

……

Zhang Juzheng knelt in the center of the hall, his face solemn, and spoke for nearly half an hour. In short, he conveyed one message.

"This matter was a mistake made by the young Wanli Emperor due to his blind filial piety. However, for the sake of the country and the world, the ministers had no choice but to compromise, but they could only tolerate it this once."

Zhang Juzheng criticized the young Wanli Emperor, but also used the phrase "blindly filial piety" to downplay his mistakes.

"I will remember what you say, Your Excellency. I assure you, I will never repeat this. Please rise, Your Excellency!" said the young Wanli Emperor with a look of shame.

Zhang Juzheng raised his head but still did not get up.

He paused for a moment and looked at the young Wanli Emperor.

"Your Majesty, if such a thing happens again, I will resign immediately. Your Majesty wishes to be a ruler who brings about the downfall of a nation, but I do not wish to be a minister who brings about the downfall of a nation!"

As soon as these words fell.

The young Wanli Emperor's eyes reddened, and he suddenly stood up from his throne.

"Prime Minister, there will be no next time, absolutely... absolutely... never again!"

Hear this.

Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao also became nervous.

The Ming Dynasty at present cannot do without Zhang Juzheng. Once Zhang Juzheng leaves the court, scenes of confrontation between the emperor and his minister may frequently occur.

Given the current capabilities of the young Wanli Emperor, he simply has no way to control his ministers.

Zhang Juzheng cupped his hands again and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that the Earl of Wuqing be penalized with a three-year salary reduction, and that he be barred from any promotion or reward for five years. The Li family should also be barred from any promotion or reward!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li showed displeasure.

She could accept the punishment for her father, but she was unwilling to accept the punishment for the Li family.

But at this moment, she dared not contradict Zhang Juzheng.

If the latter were to resign, the mother and son would either be bullied to death by the court officials, or they would be constantly fighting with them, never having a peaceful day again.

The young Wanli Emperor dared not hesitate and immediately replied, "Granted!"

Zhang Juzheng then said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that after Your Majesty finishes your meal, you come with me to the Fengxian Hall (the Imperial Ancestral Temple) to kneel before the ancestral tablets. I will kneel outside, and Your Majesty will kneel inside. We will finish when it gets dark!"

"Granted!" The young Wanli Emperor hesitated for a moment.

Zhang Juzheng's two requests were intended to give his ministers a way out.

This matter is not the fault of the officials.

Rather, it was a move made by the officials to ensure the stability of the Ming Dynasty court and to implement new policies and reforms, taking into account the overall situation.

……

After a while.

The young Wanli Emperor dared not eat at all, and went directly to the Fengxian Hall to kneel down.

He had done this act of kneeling before the ancestral tablets no less than ten times, but this time it was clearly the most serious.

Zhang Juzheng knelt outside the hall.

At this time, Empress Dowager Li also went to Fengxian Hall to kneel with the young Wanli Emperor.

This matter arose because of the Earl of Wuqing. She was afraid that if she did not kneel, the Jiajing Emperor and the Longqing Emperor would reprimand her in their dreams.

at the same time.

Feng Bao announced the punishment of the Earl of Wuqing, as well as the fact that Emperor Wanli, Empress Dowager Li, and Zhang Juzheng knelt in the Fengxian Hall.

The officials all felt a sense of helplessness: Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty had Zhang Juzheng, but unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty only had Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Nian and Wang Jiaping returned to the Hanlin Academy to write the daily records of the emperor's activities.

Shen Nian was not very satisfied with the outcome of this matter.

But this is, after all, the Zhu family's territory.

It was truly remarkable that Zhang Juzheng was able to achieve this.

If it had been the Wanli Emperor who was in power, this matter might have ended with a "half-year salary deduction".

Whether an emperor was wise or foolish had a profound impact on the Ming Dynasty.

this moment.

A bold idea suddenly popped into Shen Nian's mind, but it vanished in an instant.

If the young Wanli Emperor were to do something that harms the people, he might not compromise at all, but would instead do something even more radical.

Near dusk.

Marquis Wuqing, Li Wei, was escorted home by the Imperial Guards.

Empress Dowager Li had no other way to deal with this 68-year-old man except to have Feng Bao reprimand him.

That night.

Sun Desheng, a eunuch in the Imperial Secretariat, committed suicide by poisoning himself in prison.

This poison was given to me by Feng Bao.

There was an unwritten rule in the inner court that if a eunuch died for his master, he would be given a dignified death.

As for the officials in the Three Judicial Offices who tampered with the case files and the person who murdered Xu Sanniang, they were sentenced to death and will be directly added to the list of death row inmates to be executed this autumn.

……

The next day.

Officials, adhering to the principle that "the scandal within the palace should not be made public," did not discuss the matter further.

There has been little discussion among the general public.

After all, this matter involves the reputation of the young Wanli Emperor. If the emperor faces criticism from the people, the Ming Dynasty will inevitably be unstable.

at the same time.

Many officials began to secretly keep an eye on the movements of the Marquis of Wuqing.

Emperor Wanli has promised that such a thing will not happen again.

If the Earl of Wuqing were to be exposed for violating the law again, the officials would surely force the young Wanli Emperor to uphold justice and punish his own family.

……

at this time.

Zhang Juzheng fell ill and had no choice but to ask for three days' leave.

This illness is one that has been troubling him for the past few years: hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are a type of skin disease.

This is caused by factors such as accumulated damp heat, excessive consumption of roasted or fried foods, prolonged sitting leading to poor blood circulation, and excessive consumption of raw or cold foods due to emotional stress, resulting in turbid qi and stagnant blood flowing into the anus.

Prolonged hemorrhoids can lead to fistulas, causing persistent pus discharge and a gradual decline in qi and blood.

Zhang Juzheng was so tormented that he was powerless and unable to move an inch.

In the past, when he was ill...

He would still insist on handling official documents in bed, having someone read them aloud while he dictated them to him.

But this time, he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.

This terrified the young Emperor Wanli, who immediately ordered the imperial physician to come and treat him.

The imperial physician said that Zhang Juzheng's condition was caused by overwork and advised him never to stay up too late to review documents in the future.

The day before yesterday, Zhang Juzheng knelt for half a day, and then stayed up all night reviewing documents.

The following day, in an effort to quell the anger of some officials, he spoke with several officials, keeping him so busy that he didn't even have time to eat.

Lü Diaoyang, Ma Ziqiang, and Yin Zhengmao also rushed to his residence to visit him.

Some censors even claimed that this was because Zhang Juzheng was angered by the incident involving the Marquis of Wuqing.

This made the young Wanli Emperor even more upset.

He immediately ordered Feng Bao to convey his message of concern and sent a carriage full of rewards.

……

After Shen Nian knew about this.

He immediately wrote to his father, Shen Yaoshan, inquiring about Li Shizhen's whereabouts.

At present, Li Shizhen is traveling all over the world to compile a new herbal medicine book, and no one knows where he is.

However, he occasionally corresponded with Shen Nian's father.

Although Li Shizhen disliked Zhang Juzheng, Shen Nian believed that Li Shizhen would still be willing to help for the sake of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

……

Two days later, Zhang Juzheng returned to the cabinet ahead of schedule.

Official business is handled with the same efficiency as always.

Even officials who despised his autocratic and domineering ways had to admit that no official in the court was more diligent or attached more importance to the current new policies than him.

(End of this chapter)