I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 233, "A Mirror for the People During the Wanli Era," is released! Ensuring that all people have the right to know and the right to speak.

November 25th.

The joint investigation by the three judicial departments into Gao Gong's "Last Words on His Deathbed" has concluded, and a report of more than 7,000 words has been prepared, refuting Gao Gong's claims of forged imperial edicts, bribery, and the incident of princes and ministers storming the palace.

Most of the evidence comes from historical materials sealed in the Imperial Archives and the Hanlin Academy History Museum.

It is full of details and very meticulous.

Emperor Wanli ordered the Office of Transmission to make nearly a hundred copies of this document, which were then distributed to various government offices in the capital and posted in major gathering places such as Chengtian Gate, the Imperial Examination Hall, and the Imperial College.

Immediately, public discussion arose again.

The central figures in this discussion were no longer Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, but Wang Shizhen and his twelve students, as well as scholars from more than ten private academies in Jiangnan.

The release of this investigation document means that Gao Gong's "Last Words on His Deathbed" is untrue, and that all those who spread rumors about this matter are guilty.

The people were concerned about whether Wang Shizhen, a leading figure in the literary world, would be killed because of this incident, whether his twelve young students would be severely punished, and whether private academies across the country would be shut down again because of this incident.

Even after seeing this detailed investigative report, some inherently rebellious scholars still chose to believe Wang Shizhen.

In their eyes, regardless of the truth, the imperial court would issue a public announcement that would benefit Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao.

They didn't believe a single word of it.

soon.

A group of scholars gathered in a teahouse about two hundred paces south of the Northern Garrison Command, awaiting the verdict.

Standing at the window on the second floor of this teahouse, you can see the gate of the Northern Garrison Command.

Although the trials in the imperial prison often did not follow the "Great Ming Code," the matter had a huge impact on the people. Even if Wang Shizhen was to be executed, a notice would be posted on the notice wall next to the gate of the Northern Garrison Command.

Wang Shizhen had a huge influence among folk literati and enjoyed high credibility.

In less than half a day, more than two hundred scholars had gathered in the teahouse.

If Wang Shizhen had been imprisoned in a local government office, some scholars would probably have already gathered a crowd to surround the office.

But this is the capital, and the place where they are imprisoned is the Imperial Prison.

Blocking the imperial prison was tantamount to treason, so they dared not act recklessly in front of the prison gates.

If Wang Shizhen were executed, at most they would just shout their discontent outside Zhengyang Gate, express their grievances against the court in private rooms of teahouses and restaurants, or anonymously write an article that indirectly criticizes the government and publish it in local tabloids.

Many scholars only follow the crowd and dare not stand out.

at this time.

Someone saw Wang Shizhen and his twelve students appear outside the imperial prison. They were unshackled and appeared to have not been punished. They were accompanied by five Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) officers, led by Lü Hai, a commander of the Jinyiwei.

Immediately, the scholars mustered their courage and rushed towards Wang Shizhen.

Some of these people went because they admired Wang Shizhen, some were looking for writing material for tabloids, some wanted to gain fame and prepare examples to brag about in the future, and some were simply there to watch the excitement.

Before long, a large group of scholars appeared on the street in front of the Northern Garrison Command. Seeing that the Imperial Guards did not drive them away, they gradually surrounded them.

This was within Lü Hai and Wang Shizhen's expectations.

Cao Wei and Lü Hai hoped that Wang Shizhen's letter of apology would be of maximum value and that the world would not feel that he was forced to write the letter of apology by the imperial prison.

Therefore, they wanted him to write an apology on the street and then take them to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Transferring a prisoner from the imperial prison to the Ministry of Justice prison was generally a sign of reduced charges, meaning the punishment would be determined entirely according to the "Great Ming Code".

At this moment, Wang Shizhen stopped.

He looked around and said loudly, "Gentlemen, I am about to be taken to the Ministry of Justice prison for trial. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you all!"

After saying this, Wang Shizhen bowed and cupped his hands to the scholars around him, and the twelve students behind him also bowed and cupped their hands.

His expression was particularly serious.

This surprised all the scholars and intellectuals, who wondered why Wang Shizhen would suddenly perform such a grand apology.

Wang Shizhen slowly raised his head and continued, "I apologize because I am guilty. After discovering Gao Suqing's 'Last Words on His Sickbed,' I did not collect any evidence. Due to my own selfishness, I used my prestige among the scholars in Jiangnan to print 'Last Words on His Sickbed,' and then spread it to Nanjing and Beijing, which caused the court's credibility to decline and affected the implementation of the new policies!"

"After investigation by the three judicial departments, it has been confirmed that this 'Last Words on My Sickbed' was written by Gao Suqing in October of the first year of the Wanli reign. At that time, he had just been expelled from the capital and was filled with resentment. He was also recovering from a serious illness, so his words were indignant and contained many untrue statements. In addition, the court has shown me all the evidence it has collected. The facts prove that my actions are suspected of defaming the cabinet ministers and the chief eunuch of the inner court. I am guilty!"

Wang Shizhen bowed again.

At this moment, a scholar in the crowd shouted, "Lord Yanzhou, have you been coerced? If you have, we will stand up for you!"

Wang Shizhen shook his head.

"There was no coercion involved. Before I entered the capital, I had already disregarded life and death. I was not afraid of death, so how could I be coerced! This time, I was indeed wrong. I was wrong because of selfishness and because I used my influence to instigate scholars across the country to do wrong things. I have failed your trust."

"Bring me pen and ink. I want to write a letter of apology to all those who have been influenced by me!"

Immediately, two shop assistants from a nearby bookstore quickly brought over tables and chairs, along with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Wang Shizhen picked up the brush and said, “Gentlemen, my back is not bent. If there are treacherous officials in power who steal the country, or officials who embezzle and break the law, I will expose them to the public and let them be infamous for ten thousand years. But this time, I was blinded by selfishness. I acted too extremely. I admit my mistake and apologize!”

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Wang Shizhen wrote an apology letter on a piece of paper.

He did not apologize to Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, but apologized to everyone he had influenced, and to the New Policies Reform Movement he had influenced.

This was the last vestige of dignity he retained as a Confucian scholar.

He still didn't think he was wrong; he just thought Shen Nian was right.

Shen Nian's words, "Zhang Juzheng, the savior of the times, has a minor flaw, while Wang Shizhen, the leader of the literary world, is a clown," will be etched in his memory for the rest of his life. He apologizes for those words, not for the sake of saving his life.

Less than a quarter of an hour.

He finished writing the apology letter, put the pen down, and said to Lü Hai, "Let's go!"

……

After a while.

Wang Shizhen's letter of apology spread throughout the streets and alleys.

This letter of apology, more so than the 7,000-word investigation report from the Three Judicial Offices, is more likely to convince scholars across the land that Gao Gong's "Last Words from His Sickbed" were indeed untrue statements made in anger.

……

It was almost dusk and the cabinet was on duty.

After reading Wang Shizhen's letter of apology, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but smile.

Shen Nian saved him once again.

He never expected that Shen Nian could get the usually stubborn Wang Shizhen to write an apology letter, thus minimizing the damage that Gao Gong's "Last Words from His Sickbed" had caused him and the new policies.

"Ziheng is truly one of my arms, no, in the future, I may be one of his arms in the new policies and reforms!" Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and smiled.

Having served as Grand Secretary for many years, he held the reins of two capitals and thirteen provinces on his shoulders. He shone brightly in public, but behind the scenes lay an abyss of darkness.

No one had been able to support him until now, but Shen Nian has gradually grown into someone he can rely on.

This rekindled his motivation. Meanwhile...

Gao Gong's wife, Zhang, and his adopted son, Gao Wuguan, were also taken out of the imperial prison by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, instead of taking them to the Ministry of Justice prison, they were temporarily housed in the Ministry of Justice's official residence. Gao Gong had both merits and demerits to the court, and now that he was dead, the court still had to provide for him.

……

Two days later.

After deliberation by the Cabinet and the Three Judicial Offices, and with the approval of the young Wanli Emperor, Wang Shizhen was stripped of all his official titles and demoted to commoner status for the crimes of "using personal connections" and "fraud," and was never to be employed again.

Wang Shizhen is currently on leave but retains his official position, and still possesses the status of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and tax exemption privileges, but after today, he will have nothing left.

This punishment is not light.

However, compared to Wang Shizhen's encouragement of scholars to promote "Last Words from His Sickbed," which aimed to ruin Zhang Juzheng's reputation and hinder the implementation of the new policies, this punishment was already considered lenient.

If Wang Shizhen's letter of apology had not mitigated some of the negative impact of this incident on the new policies of the court, he would definitely have been sentenced to death.

at the same time.

Wang Shizhen's twelve students were punished with eighty strokes of the cane each for their crimes of faking personal gain and deceiving others, and were expelled and sent back to their hometowns. As for the rumors spread by the various academies in Jiangnan, considering that they were first-time offenders, they were not pursued further.

When Wang Shizhen learned that he had not been sentenced to exile or death, nor had he been implicated in any serious matters, he was extremely excited.

At this moment, his heart is not in his official career.

Now he can write history more freely.

Shen Nian had assured him that as long as there was reason and historical basis, he could write whatever he wanted, even if his views were unfavorable to the court, as long as he did not use extreme methods of propaganda.

As for the treatment of Gao Gong's wife, Zhang, Gao Gong's adopted son, Gao Wuguan, and the deceased Gao Gong, the court was extremely lenient.

Zhang Juzheng advised that Gao Suqing had presided over the Longqing Peace Treaty, which brought the northern barbarians to submission, and his contribution was invaluable. In addition, his "Last Words on His Sickbed" were words of anger after being dismissed from office, which he had never publicized or printed. His merits far outweighed his faults, and he should be honored.

Therefore, Emperor Wanli restored Gao Gong to his original post, but only provided him with half the burial expenses (i.e., the court paid half of the burial costs), and did not send officials to offer sacrifices, nor did he grant any of his sons official positions or imprisonment.

Zhang and Gao Wuguan were released without charge and sent home by official post. Gao Gong's posthumous works were not to be burned, but they had to be reviewed by the imperial court before they could be printed and preserved.

Zhang and Gao Wuguan were very grateful.

They thought they would surely die if they entered the imperial prison, but to their surprise, they were released without charge, and the court gave Gao Gong a certain amount of respect.

There was no objection from either the court or the public to the handling of Wang Shizhen and others; the court's actions were already quite lenient and magnanimous.

In other eras, if someone were to spread such rumors, many scholars and intellectuals would likely have been beaten to death long ago.

……

November 28th, early morning.

After racking his brains for several days, Shen Nian finally came up with a good plan to prevent public opinion from influencing the government.

He named his memorial "Request to Establish the Wanli People's Mirror".

Shen Nian believed that the common people, who criticized the court and its officials, were easily swayed by rumors that were detrimental to those in power. The fundamental reason was that they viewed officials and the people as inherently opposed, seeing one as the exploiter and the other as the victim, and thus they were filled with hatred for evil.

For example, Shen Nian was promoted rapidly in the early stages because he was too outstanding. Some people spread rumors that Shen Nian was Zhang Juzheng's illegitimate son. Many people believed it to be true and felt that only in this way could Shen Nian be promoted so quickly.

For example, many illiterate people from the lower classes resisted to the death simply because the local gentry and landlords told them that the imperial court was competing with the people for profits when it measured land. Little did they know that the imperial court wanted to turn them from tenant farmers into wealthy farmers.

Therefore, Shen Nian decided to order the Six Ministries to compile the manuscript, the Hanlin Academy to edit it, the young Wanli Emperor and the Grand Secretariat to review it, and the Imperial Court to print it, so as to create a publication for the people to read.

He named it "Wanli People's Mirror".

"Minjian" means to use the people's sentiments as a mirror, implying a people-centered approach.

Given the current printing technology and the difficulty of collecting manuscripts, Shen Nian suggested publishing it as a quarterly publication, four issues per year.

He divided the content into five sections.

The first section is the preface, which is the private space for the young Wanli Emperor and his cabinet ministers. They can write what they want to say to the people based on the content of the following four sections.

The other four sections are: National Conditions, New Policies, People's Livelihood, and Folk Arts.

National conditions refer to the current situation of the Ming Dynasty; new policies refer to the progress of the new policies; people's livelihood refers to the living conditions of the people; folk arts refer to a collection of technologies such as agricultural crafts, which help improve the productivity of the people.

The sections on national conditions and new policies were brief and summarized, primarily presented by officials; while the sections on people's livelihood and folk arts were more detailed and presented primarily by ordinary citizens.

This publication aims to establish a relationship between the court and the people, ensuring that the people have the right to know and the right to speak, and preventing them from being easily deceived by certain individuals and becoming tools in their hands.

In addition, it was also to unify thoughts and opinions.

To prevent a repeat of the Wang Shizhen incident, he waved his hand, directly causing countless scholars to question and oppose the court. This was not Wang Shizhen's success, but the court's failure.

Many ordinary people may not be interested in the national situation and new policies.

However, they are definitely interested in things and technologies that are closely related to people's livelihood and folk arts, which can also improve the literacy rate of people all over the world.

If the Ming Dynasty wants to achieve a golden age, keeping the people ignorant is useless; it must enlighten them and transform the court's reforms into a nationwide reform to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

In addition, Shen Nian demanded that the publication be truthful and realistic, allowing the people to speak the truth and the court to accept criticism.

If we're going to engage in formalism, with all the writing being praise and flattery, then we might as well not do it at all.

In short, the Wanli People's Mirror was a sincere way for the imperial court and the people to communicate, to help each other understand each other better, to speak the truth, to solve problems together, and to make their relationship more harmonious.

Upon seeing this memorial, the young Wanli Emperor and the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet immediately voted to approve it.

Words can kill or save the world.

This "Wanli People's Mirror" actually gave the people the power to supervise the court. If the court was not afraid of losing face, dared to let the world know about its mistakes, and dared to admit and correct them instead of being aloof, then the Ming Dynasty's golden age could be expected.

This "Wanli People's Mirror" put pressure on the court, but it also motivated the officials.

The next day, the young Wanli Emperor put the "Wanli People's Mirror" on the agenda, ordered the cabinet to supplement the details, and then announced to the world that he would accept manuscripts and pay royalties, and that the first issue of "Wanli People's Mirror" must be published on the first day of the fourth month of the following year.

Emperor Wanli specifically emphasized that he hoped all scholars in the world would speak out for the common people rather than seeking fame and personal gain for themselves.

The news quickly spread among the common people, and scholars were particularly excited.

In the past, they only listened to the court and were completely unaware of the major national events that had occurred. But from now on, the court will make many things open and transparent, and through this publication, they will also have the right to participate in politics and deliberation.

It seems that freedom of speech will be more relaxed in the future, but speaking recklessly and slandering the court will still be a serious crime.

……

It's almost dusk.

Wang Shizhen, who was leaving the capital early the next morning, also heard the news that the court would create the "Wanli People's Mirror".

A smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "My efforts have had some positive effects after all!"

"Shen Ziheng, I will keep a close eye on you. I hope you will be consistent in your words and deeds and always uphold the principle of putting the people first. I hope you will be even more outstanding than Zhang Juzheng. If, during my lifetime, you betray the court and harm the people, my pen will not hold back. I still have the power to gather scholars from all over the world to criticize you, ruin your reputation, and leave a lasting stain on your name!"

(End of this chapter)