I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 268 The Most Shameful Thing in the Court! Hai Rui's Secret Memorial, Read Aloud by the Emperor.
The Hanlin Academy, the Hall of Lecturers.

Shen Nian looked at the letter in her hand and was taken aback when she saw the words on the cover.

The inscription above reads: "A Policy on Encouraging Agriculture and Fostering Prosperous Customs," a draft submitted to the Wanli Emperor's Mirror for the People, by Zou Wendong, a student of the Nanjing Imperial Academy.

The Hanlin Academy was responsible for compiling the manuscript for "Wanli People's Mirror," and Zhao Yongxian, a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy, was one of the compilers.

"A policy to encourage agriculture and promote good customs?"

Shen Niannian could guess the contents just by looking at the common name.

It was nothing more than an attempt to persuade the people who neither farmed nor reaped to return to agriculture. These were all the pedantic views of mediocre scholars, and could not possibly have been published in the Wanli People's Mirror.

In the past month alone, Shen Nianjian has used this name in no fewer than ten manuscripts.

"The title is irrelevant to the content!" Zhao Yongxian reminded him.

Shen Nian opened the envelope and carefully read the contents of the letter. Before long, her face turned gloomy.

In his letter, Zou Wendong, a student at the Nanjing Imperial College, recounted three events.

Every single one of these items is shocking!

Firstly, he claimed that the Changping Granary in Yingtian Prefecture had no grain reserves, and that the Changping Granaries in Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture might also have no grain reserves. He further claimed that the report by the Nanjing garrison commander that the grain in the three prefectures' Changping Granaries had been flooded and damaged by up to 90% was likely a ruse to deceive the court into giving them disaster relief funds.

Secondly, he claimed that on the day the 100,000 taels of disaster relief silver allocated by the imperial court arrived in Nanjing, 80,000 taels of silver were misappropriated by Sun Long, the eunuch in charge of textile production in Suzhou and Hangzhou, for textile-related purposes. This information was discovered by a secret agent under Cao Zheng, the censor in charge of the Southern Zhili region.

Thirdly, Cao Zheng, the censor in charge of the Southern Zhili Circuit, was planning to write an impeachment memorial in Qingpu County, Songjiang Prefecture on the day he died. He had no intention of going out. His drowning death may have been due to assassination.

Although there was no concrete evidence for the three matters reported by Zou Wendong, he was certain that if the court investigated, it would uncover the truth.

this moment.

Shen Nian finally understood why he had used the pretext of submitting an article to "Wanli Minjian" to report this matter.

The manuscript of "Wanli People's Mirror" was delivered to the official post station by the local prefecture and then transported directly to the Hanlin Academy.

All submitters must register with their real names.

The manuscripts submitted by students of the Imperial Academy could be directly submitted to the Hanlin Academy without the need for verification by local prefectures and government post stations.

If he had reported this matter through other means, it would most likely have been lost in Yingtian Prefecture, and he might have died as a result.

This move was very clever.

Fortunately, it was Zhao Yongxian who saw it. If it had been seen by some Hanlin official who wanted to curry favor with Feng Bao, the matter would have been covered up, and Zou Wendong would have been in big trouble.

Shen Nian thought for a moment and looked at Zhao Yongxian.

"Brother Ru, leave this matter to me. Just pretend you don't know anything about it."

"Alright!" Zhao Yongxian bowed slightly to Shen Nian and then walked outside.

He believed that Shen Nian would handle the matter properly.

Shen Nian sat at the table, thought carefully for a while, and then took out a piece of paper, preparing to write a letter to an old friend.

Half an hour later, Shen Nian handed the letter to the clerk beside him, instructing him to deliver it to the post station as soon as possible. Then he stuffed Zou Wendong's letter into his sleeve and rushed towards the cabinet.

He was going to find Yin Zhengmao.

The purpose of seeking out Yin Zhengmao was not to report this matter to the imperial court and order the young Wanli Emperor and Zhang Juzheng to handle it.

Rather, it was to prevent Yin Zhengmao, who was investigating the details of the disaster relief funds, from finding any clues and then reporting them to his superiors.

At present, this letter alone is insufficient evidence and could easily alert the enemy.

If the young Wanli Emperor were alerted, Feng Bao would surely find out, and given his protective nature, he would definitely use means to cover it up.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had far more sophisticated methods than the Three Judicial Offices, and they were much more efficient.

It is not difficult to use methods to make fraud, embezzlement of disaster relief funds, and assassination of censors watertight.

Furthermore, the disaster relief funds were used for royal textile production.

Given the sensitive nature of the imperial family, even Zhang Juzheng might have downplayed the matter to avoid creating enmity between the inner court and the outer court in order to implement his new policies.

Only by finding irrefutable evidence can these people who have brought disaster to the country and its people be brought to justice.

At this moment, Shen Nian already had a good plan in mind.

……

cabinet.

As Shen Nian approached Yin Zhengmao's duty room, she saw Yin Zhengmao about to leave in a menacing manner.

"Ziheng, I have just received intelligence that a portion of the 100,000 taels of disaster relief funds has been diverted to the Suzhou and Hangzhou textile bureaus. Although the exact amount has not yet been determined, it is enough to warrant a thorough investigation by the court. I plan to first visit Grand Secretary Zhang, and then meet His Majesty with him!"

Shen Nian shook his head slightly.

"Grand Secretary Yin, I have more detailed information here. Let's talk inside!"

Then, when only the two of them were left in the room, Shen Nian handed Zou Wendong's letter to Yin Zhengmao.

After reading it, Yin Zhengmao's face darkened, and he felt like killing someone.

"boom!"

He slammed his hand on the table.

"First they defrauded disaster relief funds, then they directly embezzled 80,000 taels of silver, and finally... they even assassinated the investigating censor! This... this group of people is simply insane!"

One hundred thousand taels of silver was not a small sum for the Imperial Treasury.

This was money that the Ministry of Revenue had painstakingly extracted from elsewhere. Seeing that 80,000 taels had been directly misappropriated, Yin Zhengmao was naturally furious.

"Eunuchs must not interfere in politics! They must not interfere in politics!" Yin Zhengmao said, clenching his fist.

One important reason why emperors of the Ming Dynasty liked to rely on eunuchs to carry out their duties was that eunuchs only had eyes for the emperor, and they would stop at nothing to complete the imperial orders.

People like Feng Bao and Sun Long were well-read and knew about propriety and shame, but they were willing to do anything for the emperor's orders.

Shen Nian looked at Yin Zhengmao, who was burning with anger.

"Your Excellency, if we report this matter to Grand Secretary Zhang and His Majesty now, Feng Bao will undoubtedly know as well. It's highly unlikely that he would order the two eunuchs, Sun Long and Wang Yue, to use the misappropriated disaster relief funds for disaster relief. What they will do is destroy all the evidence, making it appear as if they are fully committed to disaster relief and that the money is entirely spent on aiding the victims. They wield great power in Southern Zhili and have countless ways to make the people sing their praises. We cannot rashly impeach them with a letter without evidence!"

"Then... then what should we do?" Yin Zhengmao asked, puzzled.

"Before I left, I wrote to the Imperial Censor to inform him of the details of this matter. He is currently on an inspection tour in Hangzhou and will arrive in Nanjing soon. Having the Imperial Censor investigate this matter is definitely more reliable than His Majesty ordering the Three Judicial Offices to investigate. It is not only faster but also will not alert the enemy!"

"Good idea, good idea, that's how it should be!" Yin Zhengmao's expression softened.

To slap the face of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the inner court, concrete evidence is required, and the current Three Judicial Offices are no match for Hai Rui.

Hai Rui's memorial was more convincing to the people than the "Great Ming Code".

"Let's keep this matter quiet for now, without telling anyone, and wait for news from the Imperial Maritime Court. We won't even tell Grand Secretary Zhang or Grand Secretary Shen!"

Shen Nian nodded in agreement.

Both Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing were unwilling to create conflict with the inner court in order to carry out their new policies and reforms.

However, both Shen Nian and Yin Zhengmao felt that the eunuchs in the inner court were too powerful.

They've become so arrogant now.

Once the young Wanli Emperor assumes power, they will become even more lawless. We should punish them in advance if possible.

……

August 22nd, afternoon.

The weather is hot and humid.

In a post station in Suzhou, Hai Rui had just finished reading a letter sent by Shen Nian.

He and Shen Nian often corresponded privately, which was tacitly approved by the young Wanli Emperor and there was nothing wrong with it.

Shen Nian earnestly requested that he thoroughly investigate the three matters raised by Zou Wendong, a student at the Nanjing Imperial Academy, and find Zou Wendong to protect his safety.

In fact, after learning that Cao Zheng, the imperial censor in charge of the Southern Zhili region, had drowned, Hai Rui headed towards Nanjing.

He wished to pay homage to Cao Zheng, whose character was highly regarded by Hai Rui.

Hai Rui never expected that these officials in Nanjing would be so arrogant, not only defrauding the court of disaster relief funds and misappropriating them, but also daring to assassinate the investigating censor.

In her letter, Shen Nian also warned Hai Rui to be careful, as he was capable of anything when pushed to the limit.

Hai Rui was not afraid in the slightest.

On the one hand, he was not afraid of death at all. On the other hand, compared with Cao Zheng, who only had a dozen or so guards, the court arranged for Hai Rui to have more than fifty Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to protect him. These Jinyiwei were loyal to Hai Rui and had weapons, bows and crossbows, as well as firearms.

Immediately, Hai Rui ordered several secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to rush to Nanjing.

Unlike other censors who conducted covert investigations in the countryside and overt investigations in the city, Hai Rui's inspections were all conducted covertly, and he employed a wide variety of covert methods. He exercised considerable restraint during these two years.

Aside from inspecting various regions, the imperial censors actually turned a blind eye to some local corruption.

He knew that if he investigated every little thing, he would never be able to finish investigating all the injustices in the area, and at the same time, it would affect the new policies.

But this time, with the possibility of the imperial censor being assassinated, Hai Rui was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

……

soon.

The imperial court transferred an imperial censor who was inspecting Huguang to Nanjing to oversee disaster relief efforts.

However, under the triple pressure from Sun Long, the eunuch in charge of textile production in Suzhou and Hangzhou, Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of Nanjing, and Xu Bangrui, the Duke of Wei, the garrison commander of Nanjing, he was unlikely to find any clues.

Many local officials are good at putting on a show; to see the truth, they can only hide their identities.

The newly arrived censor will obviously be kept under constant surveillance, and if he discovers anything, he might be silenced.

……

August 28th, Nanjing, nightfall.

Inside the study of a private residence.

Zou Wendong, a student at the Nanjing Imperial Academy, was standing next to Hai Rui, serving as a clerk.

He never expected to meet the legendary Hai Gangfeng, and Hai Rui's methods of inspection surprised him even more.

After Hai Rui arrived in Nanjing and found him, he spent two days confirming that the Changping granaries in Yingtian Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Songjiang Prefecture had been almost emptied before the flood. He also found out where the grain had been sold, who had handled the transactions, and how much profit the Nanjing officials had made.

At the same time, Hai Rui also discovered the details of how Cao Zheng, the Imperial Inspector of Southern Zhili, was forcibly drugged and thrown into the river by men sent by Wang Yue, the eunuch garrison commander of Nanjing.

There was another reason why Hai Rui acted so quickly and without revealing his whereabouts.

Hai Rui was very familiar with the three prefectures of Tianfu.

In the third year of the Longqing reign, Hai Rui was appointed as the governor of Yingtian, with the position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief. His jurisdiction included Yingtian, Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Songjiang and other places.

Although he only worked there for six months.

However, in the past six months, many corrupt officials resigned voluntarily because Hai Rui was there, and many powerful people who had overstepped their bounds by painting their gates vermilion immediately changed them to black upon hearing of Hai Rui's arrival.

Hai Rui was particularly familiar with the clerks and officials of the three affected prefectures and had many connections, making the investigation quite convenient.

At this moment, the only thing Hai Rui had not yet determined was how much of the 100,000 taels of disaster relief funds would actually be used for disaster relief.

However, his two advisors have already made estimates based on the current disaster relief situation, and the results will be available soon.

Once the results were available, Hai Rui was able to draft a memorial with supporting evidence and submit it to the court.

Just then, a plainclothes Imperial Guard quickly walked over.

He presented Hai Rui with a document and then said, "Lord Hai, according to Liu the Accountant's estimate, of the 100,000 taels of disaster relief funds, only about 3,000 taels were actually used for disaster relief. Of this, about 2,000 taels were used for building dikes, and 1,000 taels were used to buy grain for cooking porridge."

"Three...three thousand taels?"

Even Hai Rui, who had weathered many storms, found it unbelievable.

Turning 100,000 taels into 3,000 taels—this group is utterly lawless.

The three thousand taels of silver that fell into the hands of the disaster-stricken people in Suzhou, Songjiang, and Yingtian prefectures were not even enough for them to buy a steamed bun.

Immediately, Hai Rui sat down at his desk and began to lay out paper. Zou Wendong, who was standing next to him, quickly handed him a brush from the brush holder.

Hai Rui said slowly, "Let's stay up all night tonight and try to submit this memorial to the capital tomorrow morning!"

“Alright, no problem!” Zou Wendong said, puffing out his chest.

At that moment, Hai Rui was writing his impeachment memorial in anger.

On a flower boat on the Qinhuai River.

Xu Bangrui, the Duke of Wei and garrison commander of Nanjing, Wang Yue, the eunuch garrison commander of Nanjing, and Sun Long, the eunuch in charge of textile production in Suzhou and Hangzhou, were sitting on a boat listening to music and drinking wine.

This afternoon, Xu Bangrui reported the overall situation of the flood in the three prefectures to the imperial court, stating that thanks to their tireless efforts day and night, the floodwaters had receded and most of the displaced people had returned home. In addition, Xu Bangrui applied to the imperial court for a three-year tax exemption for the three prefectures, allowing the people to recuperate…

This memorial is essentially a request for credit, demonstrating their success in controlling the floods and that they have essentially completed their task.

The truth is that the people were forcibly driven back to their villages and forced to make a living on their own. As for those who opposed them, they were directly arrested and forced to work as river laborers building dikes.

Xu Bangrui, the Duke of Wei and garrison commander of Nanjing, stroked his beard.

"After the memorial was submitted, the damage from this flood is considered over. I hope Your Majesty can agree to exempt us from taxes for three years. Otherwise, the misappropriation of disaster relief funds has resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 people. I... I can't sleep at night!"

"What's keeping us up at night? We're doing this for His Majesty, not for ourselves. His Majesty's affairs are of paramount importance. In these kinds of floods, who can guarantee that people won't die!" Wang Yue said, scoffing.

Sun Long, the eunuch in charge of textile production in Suzhou and Hangzhou, looked at an empty chair to the side and muttered, "It's really clever that Lord Fengpan didn't come. He came up with the most vicious scheme, but he still cares about his reputation and disdains to associate with us!"

"Hmph, being too concerned about one's reputation won't get you any favors for the royal family. We owe him a favor this time. When we return to the capital, we'll all put in a good word for him before His Majesty. If he becomes the Grand Secretary, our lives might be more comfortable—no, it would be easier for us to serve His Majesty!" With that, Wang Yue raised his wine cup, his face full of smiles.

……

On the third day of the ninth month, the regular court assembly was held at the Huangji Gate.

The officials on duty at the Office of Transmission read aloud the situation regarding the management of the flood in the three prefectures of Yingtian. Although more than 10,000 people were killed or injured and countless houses collapsed, the floodwaters have now receded and the people have returned home.

Emperor Wanli said loudly, "In this flood control effort, all officials in Southern Zhili worked together with one heart and made great progress, and there was no unrest. They deserve a generous reward. In addition, regarding the proposal by Duke Wei, the garrison commander of Nanjing, to completely exempt the three prefectures from taxes for three years, the Grand Secretary and the Ministry of Revenue should recalculate it carefully. If a complete exemption is necessary, then let it be granted!"

"Your subject obeys!" Zhang Juzheng and Yin Zhengmao bowed simultaneously.

There was another reason why young Wanli was so excited: the eunuch in charge of textiles, Sun Long, had also reported to him that the floods had not affected the progress of the weaving, and he would definitely be able to complete the task of weaving winter clothes for the instructors and students of the Jingwu Academy before the winter month.

at this time.

Suddenly, Shi Qing, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, walked quickly from behind, holding a memorial in his hand.

At present, only urgent and confidential memorials from local censors, governors, or border generals are qualified to be presented directly to the young Wanli Emperor by Shi Qing, bypassing the Office of Transmission and the Grand Secretariat.

When Shi Qing rushed into the queue during the regular court session, it was clear that he had something important to report.

"Shi Qing, what is it you wish to report?" asked the young Wanli Emperor.

Shi Qing immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, Hai Rui, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, has submitted a secret memorial. It is extremely urgent. I dare not delay and will present it to Your Majesty immediately."

At present, Hai Rui's responsibility is to supervise the imperial censors of the realm.

The impeachment memorials he submitted were all secret memorials, delivered directly to the young Wanli Emperor, but very few were marked with "extremely urgent".

Moreover, this was Hai Rui's first secret memorial this year.

Among the civil officials, Chen Kai, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, suddenly became nervous. Hai Rui's impeachment was usually based on solid evidence, but when a local censor got into trouble, the most disgraceful person would be him, the head of all censors in the country.

Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian both stared at the memorial, but only the two of them knew that the truth was hidden in it.

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment, then looked at the official on duty at the Office of Transmission and said, "Read this memorial aloud in court. I want to hear which censor has been corrupt and lawless again!"

"Yes!"

The official on duty at the Office of Transmission immediately stepped forward, opened the memorial, and began to read it aloud.

"Hai Rui, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, respectfully reports: During my inspection tour of Southern Zhili, I learned that Censor Cao Zheng had drowned. I intended to go to Qingpu to pay my respects, but I discovered that Cao Zheng did not drown, but was framed and murdered..."

Hai Rui's writing is very concise.

In just a few hundred words, the author reveals that the three prefectures of Yingtian Prefecture had no grain reserves before the flood, that the officials in Nanjing used the flood damage to fraudulently obtain grain, that only three thousand taels of silver were used for disaster relief, and the truth about Cao Zheng's death.

All of Hai Rui's impeachments were based on substantial evidence.

The moment the memorial was finished being read, a hush fell over the Huangji Gate, and many officials even held their breath.

The young Wanli Emperor's expression changed, Feng Bao's expression changed, and the expressions of all the officials in the court changed!
A quarter of an hour ago.

Emperor Wanli was thinking of rewarding these people, but he never expected that they would deceive the court in this way.

"Of the 100,000 taels of disaster relief funds, only 3,000 taels were actually used for the victims. This...this..." The young Wanli Emperor's voice trembled.

He knew that some local officials would embezzle or even steal disaster relief funds, but the fact that 100,000 taels had become 3,000 taels was truly unbelievable.

What made it even harder for the young Wanli Emperor to accept was that 80,000 taels of silver were used for weaving.

This is clearly a slap in the face to him.

If this gets out, it will be the most embarrassing thing that has happened to him since he ascended the throne.

For a moment, the young Wanli Emperor was at a loss for words.

The masterminds behind this incident were two eunuchs dispatched from other regions.

They were directly under the command of the young Wanli Emperor, and no matter how he explained it, he would bear an inescapable responsibility.

(End of this chapter)