I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 264 A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned! White-faced Zhang Juzheng, Red-faced Shen Nian
On July 18th, officials in the capital were still discussing the matter of bestowing a title upon Li Chengliang.

Subsequently, news spread from within the palace: the matter will be discussed in court tomorrow morning.

This news greatly excited the civil officials who opposed Li Chengliang's ennoblement, because they were certain that Zhang Juzheng's draft proposal approved the ennoblement. The fact that the young Wanli Emperor did not approve the proposal but chose to discuss it in court was enough to show that the matter needed to be discussed.

Upon hearing that a public discussion was to be held, Shen Nian and Zhang Juzheng, based on their keen observation and understanding of the young Wanli Emperor, decided to hold a meeting.

After a moment's thought, it became clear that the young Wanli Emperor was not against Li Chengliang being granted a title, but rather intended to make a final decision in court and refute the opponents.

The intention was to win over Li Chengliang, making him thank the young Wanli Emperor rather than Zhang Juzheng, thereby increasing the emperor's control over the Ming military generals.

Although the young Wanli Emperor's scheme somewhat damaged Zhang Juzheng's prestige, the latter did not mind.

At the beginning of this year, Zhang Juzheng noticed that the young Wanli Emperor had the idea of ​​increasing his personal prestige.

This was the normal practice of successive emperors.

Before assuming personal rule, one must gradually consolidate power in one's own hands; only then can one achieve something significant after taking power.

Zhang Juzheng had no objection to this and believed that he should help the young Wanli Emperor gradually seize power.

In this way, after two or three years, when the Single Whip Law is implemented throughout the country, the country will be prosperous and the people will be at peace, and he will be able to retire and return to his hometown to live out his old age.

Shen Nian was somewhat dissatisfied with the young Wanli Emperor's use of such low-level imperial tactics.

In his view, all wise rulers rely on benevolent and virtuous governance to enable officials to perform their duties, rather than using such deliberate methods to win people's hearts.

Furthermore, this move could easily lead to conflict between the civil and military officials in the imperial court.

He felt that the young Wanli Emperor had been going astray lately.

As the saying goes: A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned.

Shen Nian planned to find an opportunity to tell young Wanli what the true behavior of a wise ruler should be.

Otherwise, if he were allowed to seize power through various shady means, sometimes promoting certain officials and sometimes suppressing others, treating court officials as pawns as the Jiajing Emperor did in his later years, it would not only lead to factional strife in the court, but also result in the emperor's absolute power and the corruption of the government.

……

On July 19th, at dawn, the regular court assembly was held at the Huangji Gate.

All civil and military officials gathered together.

After the official on duty at the Office of Transmission finished reading aloud several recent major political events, he began reading the memorial submitted by Fang Fengshi, the Minister of War and concurrently the Governor of Shanxi, requesting that Li Chengliang be granted a noble title.

After this memorial has been read aloud.

Emperor Wanli looked around and said loudly, "These past two days, there has been much debate among my ministers about this matter. My desk is piled high with memorials on this issue. Today, I would like to hear my ministers discuss this matter in court and then resolve this dispute!"

As soon as the young Wanli Emperor finished speaking, Liang Menglong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was the first to step forward.

He was not good at debating, but he was good at presenting facts. Since the officials in charge of censors and censors were often sharp-tongued, once they opened their mouths, it was difficult for him to fully express his views. Therefore, he wanted to state the facts first.

Under the Emperor's rule, he would never dare to roll up his sleeves and resort to violence.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has the responsibility to advocate for the bestowal of titles upon military officers throughout the land. Minister Fang's memorial is well-founded, and General Li fully meets the criteria for such a title. Furthermore, this act of bestowing titles will not only boost the morale of the entire army but also assist Your Majesty in implementing your policy of reorganizing the military. I have submitted a memorial stating that military officers are currently being excessively suppressed, leading to low military efficiency and a decline in military talent in recent years. This is not an exaggeration but a genuine reflection of the difficult situation faced by military officers in terms of promotion..."

After Liang Menglong finished speaking, Li Lai, a censor in the Ministry of Revenue, immediately stood up.

This person was once a local censor and only took office in the Six Ministries at the end of last year, but he is sharp-tongued and speaks with a high degree of aggression.

"Your Majesty, it is true that General Li has made great contributions to expanding the borders, but he relied on the strength of our dynasty and the policy towards the Tatars. The court has bestowed many honors upon him, which has brought him to the highest position among the officials!"

“He once falsely reported his military achievements, embezzled military pay, and killed innocent refugees. Now, the soldiers in Liaodong only know the Li family and not the imperial court… Such a border general should not be excessively favored. My opposition to granting him a title is for the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty.”

"As for Minister Liang's statement that it would help boost morale across the land, I believe it is not necessary to use titles to demonstrate that. Furthermore, Minister Liang's claim that suppressing military generals leads to a decline in military talent is a policy our dynasty has implemented since Emperor Chengzu. I have not seen a decline in military talent; on the contrary, I have seen military generals becoming increasingly powerful, with more and more abusing their power to embezzle and break the law..."

Li Lai's words were a hodgepodge, encompassing all the reasons why those who opposed the granting of titles had been speaking out in the past two days.

After he finished speaking, most of the officials who opposed granting titles would only be repeating themselves.

Several officials from the Censorate who were about to speak glared at him, then stepped out, cupped their hands, and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I second your opinion!"

At this moment, a senior official from the Ministry of War stepped forward, first bowing to the young Wanli Emperor, and then looking at Li Lai.

"Li Huke, you claim that General Li embezzled military pay, falsely reported military achievements, and murdered innocent refugees. Do you have any concrete evidence? The court has investigated many cases without finding any evidence, yet you still use them as evidence to spout nonsense before His Majesty. Truly, when you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"

Although Li Chengliang's reputation is not very good and he has made mistakes, most of them were minor.

Accusations such as embezzling military pay and falsely reporting military achievements were either unsubstantiated or, after thorough investigation, Li Chengliang was only found guilty of lax supervision of his subordinates, with no concrete evidence.

As for the killing of innocent refugees, it is even more difficult to prove whether it is true or not.

In the event of war, there is a high risk of friendly fire, and it is difficult to say whether someone is deliberately killing others to claim credit.

"No concrete evidence? That's because the Li family has absolute power in Liaodong and has simply destroyed the evidence. If the court can transfer General Li away from Liaodong, within three months, someone will report the Li family's numerous crimes!" A censor stepped forward and said.

"Ridiculous! Because of your single word, the imperial court has transferred a general away from Liaodong. If something happens to the Liaodong border, can you bear the responsibility?"

……

"Your Majesty, I believe that Li Huke's statement that the soldiers in Liaodong only know the Li family and not the court is utter nonsense. Our dynasty is full of military families. Just because the Li family has produced generals and commanders does not mean that they have overstepped their bounds. This is wishful thinking and throwing the baby out with the bathwater."

"Speculation? Why don't the generals of other border towns have such speculations? Why haven't the generals of other border towns been impeached for being too powerful?"

"That's because General Li has made great contributions and has been slandered by some ignorant people."

……

Immediately, a group of officials with differing opinions began to debate.

This was the usual procedure for court debates. Officials would express their opinions, and as long as their words did not involve personal attacks or physical violence, the young Wanli Emperor would listen to them all.

Sometimes, the ministers of the six ministries would also get involved, but the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet generally did not.

Before long, the discussion became increasingly heated.

There were officials from the Censorate, Hanlin Academy, Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commissions, but apart from Liang Menglong, none of the other department heads participated.

They have most likely figured out the young Wanli's purpose.

Although the nobles and officials of the Five Military Commissions also participated in the debate, they did not discuss whether Li Chengliang was right or wrong, but only talked about the merits and hardships of the border generals.

……

About a quarter of an hour later.

"Alright! Alright! Stop it, everyone!" Little Wanli shouted.

Immediately, the Huangji Sect fell silent.

Emperor Wanli paused for a moment, then said loudly, "After listening to all the accounts, I found that those who spoke of General Li's merits were mostly telling the truth, while those who spoke of his faults were all speculating. General Li has beheaded over ten thousand enemies and has also made contributions to expanding territory. I feel that if the court does not bestow a title upon him, it would make me appear ungrateful!"

Upon hearing this, Li Lai eagerly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, do not be fooled by them! If titles are bestowed, the military commanders of the nine border regions will surely become obsessed with instigating war!"

The young Wanli Emperor looked at Li Lai with a serious expression, waiting for a "villain" to speak.

"Li Huke, please explain in detail what the downsides of being granted a title are?"

Li Lai straightened his chest and said loudly, "The first disadvantage is that if General Li is granted a title, the other generals of the nine border regions will also want to achieve merit and be granted titles, thus giving rise to the desire to start a war and disrupting the current peaceful situation in the northern border. The second disadvantage is that after General Li is granted a title, he will inevitably become arrogant and domineering. If the Li family inherits the title as a result, they will become even more powerful. A powerful border general will be detrimental to the court. The third disadvantage is that the power of the Li family will undermine the system of civil officials and military generals, making it difficult for local governors and inspectors to have a comprehensive view of the overall situation."

Upon hearing these three major drawbacks, the young Wanli Emperor suddenly stood up from his throne.

"Based on your reasoning, does that mean that even if a border general achieves unparalleled merit, he should not be granted a title? Once he is granted a title, he will become too powerful, his merits will overshadow the emperor, and he will harbor rebellious intentions?"

The young Wanli Emperor's voice suddenly turned stern.

"Let me ask you, if a border general harbors the intention to wage war, and I forbid war, can war still break out? Let me ask you, no matter how powerful the Li family is, even if they are enfeoffed as kings of different surnames, do they have the ability to rebel? Let me ask you, if the governors and viceroys of the border towns cannot have a comprehensive view of the overall situation, can the court have a comprehensive view of the overall situation?"

The three questions posed by the young Wanli Emperor left Li Lai stunned.

He felt that what he said made sense and was possible, but the young Wanli Emperor's counter-question left him unable to answer.

Little Wanli slowed down.

"Li Huke, I remember that when you served as the Censor of Jiangxi Circuit last year, you were just as proactive as you are today. However, after reviewing your performance evaluation last year and the events that happened in Jiangxi last year, I found that you did not speak up when faced with the mistakes of officials and nobles, but you submitted memorials one after another when faced with the chaos of scholars and common people at the bottom of society."

"I won't go into the details of how many times you've treated people differently based on their status." "Officials in the Censorate have the right to report on hearsay, but they cannot fabricate stories or exaggerate for the sake of performance evaluation. In your eyes, others are guilty if they don't live like sages, while you are lenient and generous towards yourself, never reflecting on your own actions. Is this the standard for an official in the Censorate?"

"Your Majesty, I...I am guilty!" Li Lai's legs trembled as he quickly knelt on the ground.

The Emperor Wanli's words, "I will not go into details," were extremely hurtful to him.

He dared to be aggressive and domineering towards his colleagues, but when facing the young Wanli Emperor, whose personal morality was already flawed, he could only prostrate himself and admit his mistakes.

What he didn't understand was how he had suddenly become the villain when they were discussing the conferment of titles.

Many officials were also taken aback, not expecting that the young Wanli Emperor would know so much about a seventh-rank censor, and that he would suddenly attack him during the regular court session.

The young Wanli Emperor waved his hand.

"Forty strokes of the cane—let this serve as a warning!"

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor felt extremely happy.

He had already prepared a headline for his actions today: "His Majesty frequently supports Li Chengliang's ennoblement in court and angrily flogging the censors for standing up for the military general."

When Li Chengliang hears about this, he will definitely place all his gratitude on him.

At this moment, all the officials lowered their heads and fell silent.

Some officials who saw through Wanli's intentions believed that Li Lai had become the scapegoat, thus becoming a stepping stone for Li Chengliang to express his gratitude to the emperor.

Some officials who failed to discern the young Wanli Emperor's true intentions felt that he was increasingly displaying imperial bearing.

At this point, anyone who dared to plead for Li Lai would be asking for trouble.

Just then, Shen Nian suddenly stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, officials of the Censorate have the right to speak out. Your Majesty may refuse to accept their opinions, but should not punish them. Li, the Censor of the Ministry of Revenue, was merely fulfilling his duties and there was no disobedience involved. He should not be punished. If he has committed any other wrongdoing, the matter should be handed over to the Three Departments for investigation and sentencing.”

Shen Nian pleaded for Li Lai not because of a personal relationship with him, but because the young Wanli Emperor's punishment of Li Lai would affect the enthusiasm of censors and officials to submit remonstrances in the future.

The term "科道官" (Ke Dao Guan) refers to an official who offends people, is disliked, and frequently says things that most people don't want to hear.

Shen Nian was often attacked by the officials in charge of censorship, but the court needed these people.

The young Wanli Emperor punished Li Lai for exaggerating, which was inconsistent with the laws of the Ming Dynasty and even more inconsistent with ancestral rules.

Emperor Wanli never expected that Shen Nian would stand up and refute his decision.

If it were any other official, he would certainly have denounced them as being in cahoots with Li Lai, but he still needed to show some consideration for Shen Nian.

At this moment, the officials clearly felt that Shen Nian's words had put the young Wanli Emperor in an awkward position.

Just when the atmosphere became awkward.

Zhang Juzheng, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, Scholar Shen’s words are reasonable. The censors’ statements are unsubstantiated. Your Majesty may refute them, but should not punish them with criminal penalties!”

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhengmao's face lit up with excitement, and he immediately prepared to stand up and shout: "Second it!"

He also approved of Shen Nian's behavior.

Just as he was about to step forward, he noticed that Shen Shixing had quietly tugged at his sleeve.

Yin Zhengmao was taken aback at first, but then he understood.

Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian's opposition had already put the young Wanli Emperor in a very awkward position. If he were to step forward again, it might provoke officials from the Three Judicial Offices to also stand up.

Having these two people step forward is enough; we must save face for the young Wanli Emperor.

The young Wanli Emperor's face was slightly flushed.

He never expected that his carefully crafted imperial strategy to win people's hearts would be ruined by Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian just as it was about to succeed.

He couldn't understand why the two of them were showing him no respect.

The young Wanli Emperor paused for a moment, somewhat displeased, but still said, "As the Grand Secretary and Minister Shen have said, this will not be repeated!"

The young Wanli Emperor was eager to compromise.

He was worried that if another group of officials jumped out to endorse Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian, he would lose even more face.

Immediately afterwards, the court session ended, and the officials dispersed.

……

Just as Shen Nian was about to leave, Zhang Juzheng called her aside.

“Ziheng, we refuted His Majesty today, causing him to lose face. We must explain ourselves!” Zhang Juzheng said gently.

Shen Nian smiled helplessly and could only nod.

Since Zhang Juzheng returned to court after mourning his father's death, he has become much gentler.

If this had happened two years earlier, and the young Wanli Emperor had used such petty tricks in court to "suppress officials who dared to speak out and win over military generals," intending to be eager to assume personal rule, Zhang Juzheng would definitely have reprimanded him.

But at present, Zhang Juzheng gradually became a kind teacher, while Shen Nian gradually became a strict teacher.

……

A moment later, Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian arrived at the Wenhua Hall.

The young Wanli Emperor sat on the throne, clearly unhappy.

Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial from his robes and said, “Your Majesty, I suggest that Li Chengliang, the General of Liaodong, be granted the title of Earl of Ningyuan. He should be granted a hereditary title first, without having to return to the capital to receive the title this year. Next year, the title can be transferred to a hereditary one, passed down for three generations, before he returns to the capital to receive the title. This would better demonstrate the Emperor’s boundless grace. What does Your Majesty think?”

When Zhang Juzheng produced this memorial, he deliberately raised the volume of the phrase "the Emperor's grace is boundless," clearly indicating that he had seen through all of Wanli's tricks.

"As the Grand Secretary says!" The young Wanli frowned slightly, feeling that he had no secrets from Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian.

After speaking, the young Wanli Emperor looked up at the two of them.

"Prime Minister, Minister Shen, was my behavior in court wrong?"

Emperor Wanli believed that winning over border generals was a way to stabilize the country and that he had done nothing wrong. He thought that severely punishing Li Lai would make Li Chengliang feel the emperor's great favor even more and make him more willing to serve the royal family.

Zhang Juzheng cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty has treated his subjects well, making them grateful for the Emperor’s grace. They have done nothing wrong, but it is against the law to severely punish one official for this. This may cause other officials to be afraid to speak out in the future, which would violate ancestral rules and is not the behavior of a sage ruler.”

"I understand, I will not do that again!" the young Wanli Emperor said with some remorse.

Although he was displeased, he was indeed in the wrong and could only bow his head and admit his mistake.

……

After a while.

In a corridor south of the Wenhua Hall, Shen Nian followed half a step behind Zhang Juzheng, walking slowly forward.

“Ziheng, you must not be so reckless in the future. I will handle the reprimands of His Majesty. I am not afraid of offending His Majesty, but you must maintain a good relationship with him!” Zhang Juzheng said without turning his head.

Zhang Juzheng was well aware of the cold-heartedness of the imperial family and also knew the personality of the young Wanli Emperor.

Shen Nian publicly refuted the young Wanli Emperor. He might tolerate it once or twice, but if it happened too often, no matter how correct Shen Nian's words were, he might stop listening.

Especially after he took power.

If the young Wanli Emperor were to take control of everything, the only option would be to appease him. If he continued to be so forceful, a rift would inevitably develop between the emperor and his ministers.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng's idea was that he should play the bad cop in front of the young Wanli Emperor, while Shen Nian should play the good cop, in order to have a chance to teach the young Wanli Emperor well.

Zhang Juzheng had already regarded Shen Nian as his future Grand Secretary after his retirement, which is why he gave him this reminder.

In his mind, he had such immense power only because the young Wanli Emperor was still a child.

Once the young Wanli Emperor assumes power, Shen Nian will never be able to control the court and wield such power as he has. Therefore, Shen Nian must maintain a good relationship with the young Wanli Emperor and compromise on certain matters before he can sit in the cabinet, continue to assist in governance, and strive to create a prosperous Ming Dynasty and ensure that the people of the world have enough to eat.

"I will heed your teachings, my esteemed teacher!" Shen Nian bowed slightly.

With Zhang Juzheng in power, Shen Nian could play the role of the righteous cop, but if Zhang Juzheng were not in power, whether Shen Nian would become Cao Cao or Zhuge Liang would depend entirely on his performance after the young Wanli Emperor took over the reins of government.

(End of this chapter)