I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 215 Blasphemy Against Sages? Dare to Move the Statue of Confucius?
July 21st, afternoon.

The Qufu County Prison is experiencing its busiest moment yet.

Marquis Xue Bian of Yangwu, Zhu Qingfu, the Shandong Provincial Administration Commissioner, Zhao Yunsheng, the Shandong Imperial Inspector, You Jixun, the Prefect of Yanzhou, Xu Liang, the Vice Prefect of Yanzhou, and Bai Youlu, the Assistant Magistrate of Qufu County, were all stripped of their official robes by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and imprisoned in the county jail.

Currently, Xue Bian, Xu Liang, and Bai Youlu have confessed to all the information they know about the "Zhongxin Society" and their individual criminal activities.

Zhu Qingfu, Zhao Yunsheng, and You Jixun were sent directly to the county jail and made to write their own indictments.

The three knew that Xue Zheng had been killed, and that Shen Nian and Shi Qing had confirmed that all three of them were on the "Zhongxin Society" list.

Shi Qing has warned them that once the list of members of the Zhongxin Society is found and their confessions do not match the list, they will be punished with additional charges.

With the Imperial Guards watching them as they wrote their charges, and constantly asking for details after they finished, the three men might write less about their crimes, but they would most likely not dare to lie.

……

The back office of the county government.

Zhao Xian, the 53-year-old governor of Shandong, had red eyes and kept apologizing to Shen Nian, Shi Qing, and Tang Xianzu, saying that he had failed in his duty and that it had led to such a serious problem of factionalism in Qufu County. He said he would submit a memorial to the capital tonight to plead guilty.

His humility was not out of fear of Shen Nian and Shi Qing's power.

However, if Shen Nian and Shi Qing were to say a few bad things about him when reporting the case to the capital, he could be punished and dismissed from his post.

Shen Nian and Shi Qing didn't pay him much attention.

Once the matter is thoroughly investigated, Zhao Xian will certainly be punished, even if he was not involved.

The reason the Imperial Guard invited him here was that having this top official in Shandong would make it easier to carry out their duties.

Once the "Zhongxin Society" list is found, it is estimated that a large number of officials and clerks will need to be arrested. It would be more convenient for Zhao Xian to assign officers to make the arrests.

Night falls in the back hall of the county government office.

The confessions of Zhu Qingfu, Zhao Yunsheng, and You Jixun were presented to Shen Nian, Shi Qing, and Tang Xianzu.

After reading it, Shen Nian and the other two couldn't help but sigh.

Zhu Qingfu, the Shandong Provincial Governor, was misled into Xue Zheng's trap by lust.

Logically speaking, as a provincial governor, he could find any kind of woman. On the surface, he could recruit them as maids, but in reality, he could recruit them as concubines. As long as he paid enough, there would definitely be many young and beautiful women throwing themselves at him.

Even if it were discovered, at most it would be considered improper behavior or bad character, which wouldn't be considered a crime in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

After all, Wang Guoguang, the current Minister of Personnel, still took a concubine when he was sixty-five years old!

However, he had a preference for married women, just like Cao Cao.

Three years ago, at a banquet, he took a fancy to a woman who had come with a merchant. He assumed she was the merchant's concubine and had someone inquire about her price to buy her. Little did he know that she was actually the merchant's wife.

As it happened, Xue Zheng learned of this matter.

In three days, he fabricated charges against the merchant, confiscated his property, and exiled him to another place. The merchant's wife then became Zhu Qingfu's mistress.

Later, Zhu Qingfu took a fancy to the wives of two of his subordinates, and Xue Zheng used his methods to help him get what he wanted.

To repay Xue Zheng, Zhu Qingfu did a few small things for him as well.

Because Xue Zheng could also provide him with some secrets from the capital and told Zhu Qingfu that he could enjoy these resources as long as he joined the Zhongxin Society, Zhu Qingfu became a member of the Zhongxin Society.

……

Zhao Yunsheng, the Imperial Inspector of Shandong, was not fond of money, women, or gambling, but he was ruined by his love of opera.

He's a theater fanatic.

However, the laws of the Ming Dynasty explicitly prohibited court officials from playing the roles of emperors, empresses, loyal ministers, or sages.

However, Zhao Yunsheng had a great passion for acting and played roles such as Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Emperor Renzong of Song, Emperor Huizong of Song, Qu Yuan, Bao Zheng, and Yue Fei.

He even wrote the lyrics for the play himself.

Each time he performs, he has at least forty or fifty people involved, plus the cost of preparing costumes, stage, and props, which is quite expensive.

As a mere seventh-rank censor, he simply couldn't afford such a hobby.

All this money came from Xue Zheng's pocket, and the price he paid was joining the Loyalty Society.

……

As for You Jixun, the prefect of Yanzhou, his hobbies were more straightforward.

He only loves money.

Whether it was silver ingots, gold leaves, calligraphy, paintings, or porcelain, he accepted them all without hesitation, and naturally joined the Zhongxin Society, a society that helped each other.

Last year, Xue Zheng sought to consolidate his power.

After arranging a meeting with Zhu Qingfu, Zhao Yunsheng, and You Jixun, Xue Zheng, with these three as his backers, could practically do whatever he wanted in Yanzhou Prefecture.

The three men's confessions consisted of half admitting their guilt and the other half shifting all the blame onto Xue Zheng, claiming that his cunning had led them to fall into his trap.

Shen Nian had absolutely no sympathy for them.

While Xue Zheng was indeed cunning, the main problem was their lack of self-control and their selfish desires.

Tang Xianzu's refusal to join the society, even unto death, and his refusal to associate with evil people, is the best example.

Those who have a strong sense of national righteousness in their hearts are able to resist these temptations.

Tang Xianzu said, "None of the three have implicated others in their crimes, but given Xue Zheng's cunning, he must have other accomplices in the prefecture, the province, and the capital. If we cannot find the list of members of the Zhongxin Society, I'm afraid this case will never be brought to light!"

"Where would Xue Zheng hide such an important item? This list must contain the members' crimes, their membership forms, and even letters between Xue Zheng and the members. It's impossible for it to be recorded in one book. There must be at least a wooden box, and it would be easy for him to add to the contents at any time. The Xue family certainly doesn't have this item. Where could he have put it?"

Shi Qing had several Imperial Guards under his command who were skilled at raiding homes, searching everything from rooftops and treetops to outhouses.

If they say the Xue family doesn't have it, then they absolutely don't.

"How is things going with the Duke of Yansheng?" Shen Nian asked Shi Qing.

Shi Qing slightly curled his lip and said, "The scale is quite impressive, but we've gained nothing!"

Shen Nian paused for a moment and looked at the map of Qufu County not far away.

"It must be in the county town, not in the countryside. Secondly, it must be a place that none of us would expect or that we can't reach! If I were Xue Zheng, where would I hide something that concerns my life and fortune?" Shen Nian murmured.

At this time.

Shen Nian suddenly looked towards the very center of Qufu County, and then opened the confession of the Xue family members recounting Xue Zheng's daily life.

Wow! Wow!
After flipping through the documents for a while, Shen Nian looked at Shi Qing and Tang Xianzu.

"Xue Zheng's family claims that he visited the Confucius Temple to worship Confucius at least twice a month. Do you think this is reasonable?"

“That’s unreasonable. This kind of madman could never possibly venerate Confucius!” Tang Xianzu said.

"Could it be that the list of members of the Zhongxin Society is hidden in the Confucius Temple?" Shi Qing asked doubtfully. "Impossible! We have searched the Confucius Temple twice and found nothing unusual. The Confucius Temple is guarded by members of the Kong family day and night, and there are many worshippers. If he hid the list there, wouldn't he be afraid that someone would accidentally find it?"

Shen Nian paused for a moment, then asked, "Has the Dacheng Hall been searched?"

The Dacheng Hall is the main hall of the Confucius Temple.

Inside is a seated statue of Confucius in his imperial robes, and on the east and west sides are statues and memorial tablets of the "Four Worthies" and the "Twelve Philosophers".

This hall was built to royal standards. Except during sacrificial periods, no one is allowed to enter; they can only pay their respects from the outside.

Shi Qing shook his head and said, "We haven't searched it, but the Kong family guards it day and night!"

Shen Nian smiled slightly and said, "What if the Duke of Yansheng grants Xue Zhengxing a favor?"

“It’s…it’s possible!” Tang Xianzu said.

"Investigate! We'll investigate right now!" Shen Nian said decisively.

……

Less than half an hour later.

Shen Nian and Shi Qing, along with a group of Imperial Guards experienced in raiding homes and seizing gold and silver, arrived at the very center of Qufu County... the Confucius Temple. The Confucius Temple was enormous.

Shen Nian and the others passed through the first gate, Shengshi Gate, the second gate, Hongdao Gate, the third gate, Tongwen Gate, Kuiwen Pavilion, Beiting Courtyard, Dacheng Gate, and Xingtan before finally arriving in front of the core main hall, Dacheng Hall.

At this time.

Four guards from the Kong family stood in front of the crowd.

"Except for sacrificial rites, and except for the daily maintenance of the temple by members of the Confucius family, no one is allowed to enter the Dacheng Hall. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished for the crime of desecrating the ancestral temple of the sages!"

The moment he finished speaking.

Duke Yansheng, Kong Shangxian, rushed over.

"Scholar Shen, Commander Shi, what are you doing?"

Shen Nian got straight to the point: "We suspect that the list of members of the Zhongxin Society is hidden in the Dacheng Hall, and we need to check it out!"

Kong Shangxian ran too fast and was out of breath, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

"No, no! Except during the sacrificial period, without His Majesty's imperial decree, and without members of the Kong family, no one is allowed to enter. Otherwise, it would be a great disrespect to the sages. Even if you two are imperial messengers, if I impeach you, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you will be punished with at least eighty strokes of the cane!"

Kong Shangxian's words are true.

The "Great Ming Code - Rites and Sacrifices" stipulates that anyone who blasphemes against the gods (shrines of gods and sages, tombs of saints and virtuous men) shall be punished with eighty strokes of the cane; if there is any damage, the punishment shall be one hundred strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude.

The statue of Confucius symbolizes the Confucian tradition, and even when investigating a case, no act of disrespect is permitted.

“The Dacheng Hall is guarded and cleaned by members of the Kong family every day. If there were anything that did not belong in the hall, we would have discovered it on the same day. It is impossible for anyone to hide something here!”

Shi Qing looked at Kong Shangxian and said, "Duke Yansheng, I don't believe you, and I don't believe your Kong family!"

Say it.

Shi Qing shouted to the Imperial Guards beside him, "Brothers, those who are willing to receive eighty strokes of the cane, step forward!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
All twenty-odd Imperial Guards who had come forward stepped forward.

Shi Qing waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers, light the torches and follow me inside!"

The Dacheng Hall is lit by candles day and night, but you can see better with a torch.

Eighty strokes of the cane wouldn't frighten these Imperial Guards at all.

Kong Shangxian panicked immediately and quickly stepped in front of the crowd, stretching out his arms and saying, "I...I...I will definitely write a memorial to impeach you!"

Shen Nian said expressionlessly, "Duke Yansheng, please impeach me. I am the one who instigated this!"

Seeing that he couldn't intimidate the crowd, Kong Shangxian paused for a moment and said, "I... I can allow you to enter, but... but you are not allowed to touch the statues of my family's sages, as well as the statues of the Four Sages on both sides (Yan Hui, Kong Ji, Zeng Shen, and Mencius), and the Twelve Philosophers (Min Sun, Ran Yong, Duanmu Ci, Zhong You, Bu Shang, You Ruo, Ran Geng, Zai Yu, Ran Qiu, Yan Yan, Zhuan Sun Shi, and Zhu Xi). If you damage or move any of them, you will be disrupting the sacrificial order, which is a grave offense of disrespect!"

"We'll see!" Shi Qing pushed Kong Shangxian's arm away and immediately led the Imperial Guards into the Dacheng Hall, while the remaining four Imperial Guards were responsible for protecting Shen Nian.

With a dark expression, Kong Shangxian said to the guards standing to the side, "Quickly gather all the able-bodied men of our Kong family here. If they do anything to disrespect our ancestors, we will fight them to the death!"

The guard immediately went to call for help.

Kong Shangxian and the remaining guards entered the Dacheng Hall to prevent the Jinyiwei from overstepping their bounds and committing any acts of disrespect.

Shen Nian was not surprised by Kong Shangxian's outburst. Their actions were indeed somewhat offensive to Confucius, but it was worth it to find the list of members of the Zhongxin Society. Shen Nian believed that the young Wanli Emperor would understand him.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's searches mainly focused on secret passages and places where items could be easily hidden.

As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race.

It will take them at least an hour to complete their search of the hall.

Shen Nian did not enter the palace to search, not because he was afraid of the eighty strokes of the cane, but because if the Embroidered Uniform Guard could not find it, he certainly could not find it either.

Going inside would be useless; standing outside would only prevent the Kong family from starting a riot.

Before long, people from the Kong family arrived.

There were hundreds of people, all looking at Shen Nian with cold expressions.

In their eyes, Confucius was more noble than the imperial power, and anyone who disrespected Confucius was going against all scholars and would be punished by heaven.

They disliked the feeling of Shen Nian ruthlessly shattering their sense of superiority.

……

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

Shi Qing led several Imperial Guards out of the Dacheng Hall, followed by Kong Shangxian.

Kong Shangxian's face turned ashen.

"I said I had nothing to hide, yet you still insist on searching me. Tomorrow I will write a memorial impeaching you. Qufu County does not welcome you!"

Shen Nian looked at Shi Qing with a puzzled expression.

Shi Qing walked up to Shen Nian and said, "We haven't found anything yet, but the statues seem to have been moved and the traces have been deliberately cleaned up. I suspect there might be something under the statues, so we need to move the statues of Confucius, the Four Sages, and the Twelve Philosophers!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian looked helpless.

Inside the Dacheng Hall, the statue of Confucius is about 10 feet tall, the statues of the four disciples are about 7 feet 8 inches tall, and the statues of the twelve philosophers are about 6 feet tall.

Moving it is not difficult.

But if it's moved, the charges will be much more serious.

The teachings of Confucius will serve as a model for all ages, and the sacrifices at the Confucius Temple are a major national ceremony.

Moving a statue of Confucius for the purpose of investigating a case is also a great disrespect.

Even if this matter were reported to the cabinet and the young Wanli Emperor, they might hesitate.

Shen Nian thought for a moment and walked towards the Duke Yansheng, Kong Shangxian, whose face was dark.

"Duke Yansheng, we suspect that the list of members of the Zhongxin Society may be hidden under the statues. Could the Kong family move these statues under the pretext of cleaning? Only the people among us should know about it, and we will never reveal it. This way, it won't be considered disrespecting Confucius!"

Hear this.

Kong Shangxian glared at Shen Nian first, then shouted loudly, "Fellow members of the Kong family, someone wants to move the statue of our ancestor! We swear to protect the statue of our ancestor with our lives!"

The moment he finished speaking, all the members of the Kong family rushed forward and blocked the entrance to the main hall.

Shen Nian looked helpless.

If the relocation is truly forced, all members of the Kong family will likely be arrested and imprisoned in the county jail first.

Shen Nian paused for a moment and said, "Duke Yansheng, don't be anxious, don't be anxious. How about we do this? You submit a memorial to His Majesty explaining everything, and I will apply to His Majesty to move the statue. If His Majesty approves, we will move it; if His Majesty refuses, we will not move it! How about that?"

"I believe His Majesty would not allow you to desecrate the sages for the sake of a few booklets!" Kong Shangxian said confidently.

Shen Nian continued, "Before His Majesty's decree arrives, we will send several Imperial Guards to guard this place to ensure that no one will transfer the list. What do you think?"

Kong Shangxian thought for a moment and said, "They are only allowed to guard outside the hall, not to enter the hall!"

“No problem!” Shen Nian readily agreed.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Nian and Shi Qing left behind several Imperial Guards and departed from the Confucius Temple.

Inside the carriage.

Shi Qing frowned and said, "Scholar Shen, if this matter is reported to His Majesty, I'm afraid... I'm afraid His Majesty will find it difficult to approve!"

No matter how big this matter is, it is not as great as the dignity of Confucius.

Since ancient times, even rebel armies have not dared to move the statues in the Confucius Temple at will, because that would be against Confucianism and Taoism, against the rules of etiquette, and would incur divine retribution.

Shen Nian moved a group of statues of sages and worthies in the Dacheng Hall because of the case. Once this precedent is set, it will weaken the people's awe and respect for Confucius.

This was a major event that impacted the Confucian tradition of the nation.

Shen Nian slowly said, "Based on my understanding of His Majesty, he most likely won't agree. What I just said was merely a delaying tactic. Let's go back and think carefully about how to move these statues. With the Kong family causing such a commotion, if we move these statues and make sure they're missing an arm or a leg, we'll be infamous for eternity!"

(End of this chapter)