I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 226 The Solitary Sleeping Boy Zhu Yijun! Shen Nian: The Zhu Family Will Be Finished Sooner or Later Without Me.

October 17th, afternoon.

Shen Nian's numerical diagram of the Grand Canal transport system was the first to circulate within the Ministry of Revenue.

With the explanations of Pang Shan and Feng Xuan, the accounting officials of the Ministry of Revenue quickly understood the ingenious use of the diagram, and were overjoyed, feeling as if they had found a treasure.

However, the imperial court has its own regulations.

All official documents of the government have a fixed format, and no one may alter them without imperial decree.

While Liu Sijie, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, went to the Cabinet to report, he also asked Shen Nian to draft a detailed illustrated method so that it could be quickly popularized.

Cabinet value.

The usually reserved and taciturn Liu Sijie, in front of the three cabinet ministers, gestured wildly and imitated Shen Nian, describing the bar charts, line charts, and pie charts that Shen Nian had drawn, especially the application of coordinate axes.

It is said that if this method can be implemented nationwide, the efficiency of land surveying across the country can be increased by at least 30%, the writing of accounting documents for various government offices can be saved by at least half the time, and the review by Emperor Wanli and the cabinet will be more convenient. It is recommended that the court quickly popularize this method.

The three cabinet ministers couldn't help but smile broadly when they saw Liu Sijie so excited that she almost lost her composure.

They were used to Shen Nian's new creations and immediately decided to discuss whether they could be popularized nationwide after Shen Nian wrote out the specific methods.

……

October 20th, near noon.

Shen Nian completed the writing on the method of coordinate graphs and named it: "Coordinate Axis Graphical Method".

It details the application of coordinate axes, popularizes the concept of coordinates, and explains the application of graphs such as bar charts, line charts, and pie charts, using common data such as military personnel's salary and grain rations, and warehouse income and expenditure as examples.

In this respect, Shen Nian is actually only a mediocre person.

However, he believes that once he extends this theory of numbers and shapes to a practical stage, a large number of people skilled in mathematics will carry it forward.

……

October 21st, early morning.

Emperor Wanli cancelled the daily lectures and ordered all the accountants in the inner court and the accountants and clerks of various government offices in the capital to come to the Ministry of Revenue to listen to Shen Nian explain the coordinate axis diagram method.

Emperor Wanli and the three Grand Secretaries also attended the hearing at the Ministry of Revenue.

Before coming, everyone had carefully studied Shen Nian's "Coordinate Axis Graphical Method".

Shen Nian set up eight wooden boards resembling screens in the front courtyard of the Ministry of Revenue, specifically to place the templates made last night.

In class, Shen Nian worked very hard.

First, the diagram template was broken down, and then the application of the coordinate axis was discussed in detail. The discussion lasted until nearly noon before the meeting was called over, and the afternoon was for everyone to discuss.

After listening to Shen Nian's explanation, Emperor Wanli and the three Grand Secretaries finally understood the immense benefits that the coordinate axis diagram method brought to the Ming Dynasty's accounting and other official documents.

Everyone prefers to see a picture that is easy to understand at a glance.

Instead of flipping through stacks of documents and reading endless, repetitive sentences to understand the content.

On this day, all the officials of the Ministry of Revenue stood tall with their chests held high, full of energy.

This coordinate diagram method will not only reduce the pressure on officials in the Ministry of Revenue and improve their efficiency, but will also transform the Ministry of Revenue from a dreaded government office that no one wanted to work for into a highly sought-after office for countless officials.

Well known.

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Justice was closer to the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate, and was often referred to as one of the Three Judicial Offices.

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works were highly independent and required a high level of professional skills from their officials.

The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Revenue were often compared by officials.

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of personnel matters and managed officials. It was often regarded as the head of the six ministries, and its officials had real power and were easy to promote.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of etiquette, the imperial examinations, and education. Although it was busy, the work was all prestigious and rewarding.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of household registration and taxation, managing "money, people, and land." Its affairs were numerous and complex, making it busier than the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites. However, it was also easy to be punished and caught in the middle.

Officials preferred to join the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Rites, but not the Ministry of Revenue.

Especially since the nationwide land survey was implemented, officials in the Ministry of Revenue have all complained of being overworked.

However, Shen Nian's coordinate axis diagram method can change the current situation of the Ministry of Revenue staff, not only halving their workload, but also greatly increasing their opportunities to claim credit and rewards.

All the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were deeply grateful to Shen Nian.

……

October 24th.

Emperor Wanli and his cabinet consulted the opinions of a group of veteran accountants who had spent most of their lives working with abacus beads, and decided to first have various government offices in the capital try out the accounting document templates created by Shen Nian using the coordinate axis diagram method.

If efficiency is significantly improved and there are no other drawbacks.

After the New Year, it will be promoted to use in the inner court and local prefectures, counties and townships, and simultaneously promoted to the general public for use by people in need.

On the day.

Emperor Wanli bestowed upon Shen Nian one hundred taels of silver, three layers of colored silk, and also four bottles of Shen family wine, two boxes of pastries, and four cakes of tea.

Emperor Wanli was not particularly generous in rewarding his officials, but he always rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service, and he was very timely in doing so.

With this method and Zhang Juzheng's return to the cabinet, there will undoubtedly be more impetus for land surveying across the country. It is almost a certainty that the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty will complete the land surveying task by the end of next year.

Through this incident, Shen Nian firmly secured his position as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Every time Liu Sijie saw him, she would first smile, revealing her two rows of teeth, before speaking to Shen Nian.

As for the other officials in the Ministry of Revenue, they were even more respectful to Shen Nian.

Any task assigned by Shen Nian will only be completed ahead of schedule, never exceeding the allotted time.

At that time, officials from other government departments dared to speak ill of Shen Nian, and officials from the Ministry of Revenue dared to directly confront them.

Shen Nian was also gradually learning in the Ministry of Revenue how to properly handle the affairs under her charge, such as canal transport, warehousing, salt tax, and border pay.

In short: He has been busy and happy lately.

……

On the first day of the eleventh month, the capital city gradually grew cold.

The Imperial Guard and the Imperial Observatory are still investigating the Ming Ancestral Mausoleum in Sizhou, and it is estimated that they will be able to reach a conclusion by December.

The cooperation between the three Grand Secretaries Zhang Juzheng, Yin Zhengmao, and Shen Shixing became increasingly seamless.

When Shen Shixing was in charge of the Hanlin Academy, he always liked to play it safe and lacked his own opinions. However, after entering the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng's ideas became his own. In addition, he was young and energetic, and the amount of official work he did far exceeded that of Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang combined.

This pleased Zhang Juzheng greatly, and the young Wanli Emperor was also very pleased.

……

November 3rd, at 13:00.

The Hanlin Academy, the Hall of Lecturers.

Shen Nian was leaning back in a large chair, taking a nap. The warm sunlight streamed through the window and shone directly on him.

This is a seat specially designed by Shen Nian for autumn and winter.

Taking a 15-minute walk after lunch, then basking in the sun, followed by a 25-minute nap, is Shen Nian's method for maintaining health and youthful appearance.

After a short rest, brewing a pot of tea will greatly improve your work efficiency.

Just as Shen Nian was taking a nap, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

Supported by two junior eunuchs, Feng Bao, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, arrived breathlessly in front of Shen Nian's house.

The door wasn't closed, and the three of them barged in. "Lord Shen, wake up! Wake up!" Feng Bao shouted at Shen Nian. Ever since Shen Nian became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Feng Bao knew that Shen Nian would eventually enter the cabinet, so he changed his address to respectfully call him: Lord Shen.

Shen Nian groggily opened her eyes and saw that Feng Bao looked flustered and his forehead was covered in sweat. She asked in confusion, "Eunuch Feng, what happened?"

"Let's talk as we walk, let's talk as we walk!" Feng Bao grabbed Shen Nian's arm and ran outside.

Shen Nian looked depressed.

Feng Bao wasn't the first to grab him by the arm and run outside; Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue had both done the same thing.

These people regarded him as an omnipotent savior.

Feng Bao pulled Shen Nian into the carriage, heading straight for the Forbidden City.

It was only from inside the carriage that Feng Bao finally spoke.

"This morning, Empress Wang paid her respects to the Empress Dowager and then said that His Majesty had been sleeping alone in the Qianqing Palace for the past three days, without allowing Empress Wang, Consort Liu, or Consort Yang to attend him."

"After reviewing the 'Daily Records of the Emperor's Activities,' the Empress Dowager discovered that His Majesty had slept alone nine times in the past two months. She was furious and went to the Wenhua Hall to reprimand His Majesty!"

"But I never expected His Majesty to talk back this time, saying that he likes to sleep alone."

"The Empress Dowager was furious and immediately reprimanded His Majesty for having been married for more than eight months without a child, which was already a disservice to the ancestors. Now, he was being unruly and sleeping alone, which was extremely unfilial. She ordered His Majesty not to sleep alone from now on and to make having a son the first priority every night!"

……

"Unexpectedly... unexpectedly His Majesty also lost his temper, saying that he is now an adult and the Empress Dowager should understand his habits. Then the Empress Dowager, with tears in her eyes, wept bitterly and ordered the eunuchs to summon the three Grand Secretaries to the Wenhua Hall to reprimand His Majesty!"

"When His Majesty heard that the three Grand Secretaries were coming, he angrily claimed that he was guilty and wanted to kneel in the Fengxian Hall as punishment. He immediately went into the Fengxian Hall and closed the door tightly. No matter how the three Grand Secretaries tried to persuade him, His Majesty refused to open the door. The Empress Dowager cried until her throat was hoarse!"

……

"Grand Secretary Zhang believes that since you, Lord Shen, are both a teacher and a friend to His Majesty, His Majesty might want to see you, so I came here to find you!"

……

Shen Nian listened, completely stunned.

It had been a long time since the young Wanli Emperor had committed such a rebellious act, and it had been a long time since he had knelt before the ancestral tablets in the Fengxian Hall.

But such behavior is indeed in line with his style.

Perhaps due to becoming emperor at the age of ten, coupled with the strict discipline of Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng.

This resulted in the young Wanli Emperor having a very stubborn personality. Sometimes, once he made up his mind, nothing could change it, and he had to be coaxed slowly.

At this moment, Shen Nian felt some sympathy for the young Wanli Emperor.

He murmured, "The pleasures of men and women must be enjoyed in a joyful mood and with mutual affection, and then done spontaneously. Only in this way, when they are perfectly in sync, can it be a wonderful thing. If it is only for the purpose of having children, then it is quite boring!"

Feng Bao, standing to the side, was completely bewildered.

Although he wasn't qualified to experience it, he had seen this kind of intense, burning passion.

He felt it wasn't much different from a pig giving birth; just move it to a house, stay overnight, and the process would be completed naturally.

Seeing Feng Bao's bewildered expression, Shen Nian realized that her words had been a waste of breath, and said, "I'll give it a try!"

……

About a quarter of an hour later.

Shen Nian was still more than ten steps away from Fengxian Hall when she heard Empress Dowager Li's voice, which was trembling with sobs.

"Your Majesty, if you do not like the Empress, Consort Zhao, and Consort Yi whom I have chosen for you, I will immediately order the Directorate of Ceremonial to select nine more concubines for you, according to your requirements."

"Right now, bearing a royal heir for the royal family is His Majesty's most important task. Otherwise, I... I have no face to pay homage to the late Emperor and the ancestors of the royal family. Next year, at the latest by March, a concubine must be pregnant!"

……

As soon as Empress Dowager Li finished speaking, Shen Nian heard Zhang Juzheng's powerful voice.

"Your Majesty, the imperial lineage rests on the ancestral temples; the peace of the ancestral temples depends on the succession. Now Your Majesty is in good health and has just begun your reign; the whole world eagerly awaits a sage successor..."

Upon hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Shen Nian instantly understood why the young Wanli Emperor wouldn't open the door.

Zhang Juzheng was good at preaching grand principles, but his biggest problem was that he wanted the young Wanli Emperor to become the Wanli Emperor in his mind, without taking the young Wanli Emperor's feelings into account at all.

At that time, both Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng regarded the young Wanli Emperor as the ruler of the country and regarded giving birth to a royal heir as the goal for the young Wanli Emperor to become an emperor.

However, they did not treat the young Wanli Emperor as a sixteen-year-old boy.

Shen Nian guessed that the young Wanli must have longed for marriage before his marriage.

The palace maids taught him about lovemaking many times, and he also read a lot of miscellaneous books.

There are many love stories about talented men and beautiful women in the market of the Ming Dynasty today.

However, after the marriage, perhaps because Empress Wang and the two concubines were too young, or perhaps because they were chosen and trained by Empress Dowager Li, their behavior was somewhat like Empress Dowager Li's, which caused young Wanli to develop a sense of aversion.

Today, Empress Dowager Li and the three Grand Secretaries have once again linked his marriage to the continuation of the Ming Dynasty, putting immense pressure on the young Wanli Emperor.

When going to bed, one's mind is filled with thoughts of the Ming Dynasty's future, while one's spouse, at Empress Dowager Li's request, might also offer some profound advice on the importance of "the safety of the ancestral temples depends on the descendants."

In that case, what man would still be interested in engaging in sexual relations?

A sixteen-year-old boy still has a romantic feeling about marriage, rather than seeing it as a routine matter.

Shen Nian suddenly thought of the lustful Longqing Emperor, and then compared him with the young Wanli Emperor who now wanted to live alone, and she couldn't help but laugh and cry.

He knew that Empress Dowager Li must be devastated at this moment.

"Shen Nian greets the Empress Dowager and the three Grand Secretaries!" Shen Nian said, bowing.

Zhang Juzheng spoke first: "Ziheng, His Majesty is in a bad mood and refuses to open the door. We can't persuade him. Why don't you talk to His Majesty?"

Shen Nian thought about it.

"Empress Dowager, Grand Secretaries, today's matter involves His Majesty's privacy. Could the four of you please go back and rest first, so that I may speak with His Majesty alone? Our presence here is putting too much pressure on His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li looked at Shen Nian and said sternly, "Who isn't under pressure? This isn't a private matter; it's the most important thing for the Ming Dynasty right now!"

Shen Nian bowed and cupped his hands in greeting to Empress Dowager Li, then looked at Zhang Juzheng.

At the moment, he couldn't get along with Empress Dowager Li, and Empress Dowager Li sometimes spoke too arrogantly, so Shen Nian still wanted Zhang Juzheng to communicate with him.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Empress Dowager Li.

“Empress Dowager, we should first bring His Majesty out. If he kneels in anger for a whole day and night and his health suffers, the matter will become much more serious!” Zhang Juzheng said.

Given the stubborn nature of the young Wanli Emperor, he might very well have refused to eat or drink and knelt for a whole day and night.

Empress Dowager Li thought for a moment, then turned and walked outside.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Juzheng, Yin Zhengmao, Shen Shixing, and Feng Bao also left the front courtyard of Fengxian Hall.

Inside the courtyard, only Shen Nian and two young eunuchs remained.

Shen Nian walked to the entrance of Fengxian Hall and gently knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, it is your humble servant! The Empress Dowager and the three Grand Secretaries have all left. They are no longer pressuring you. May I come in and speak with them?"

"I understand your predicament, and I also think you did the right thing, but kneeling inside and sulking won't solve anything. Why don't we talk?"

……

After a few breaths.

Shen Nian heard footsteps coming from inside, and then the door was opened a crack.

Little Wanli poked his head out, first looked around, then looked at Shen Nian and said, "Come in!"

(End of this chapter)