I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 276 The Little Wanli Emperor Cried After Being Roasted! A Battle Between Emperor and Ministers: The Censor Slightly Rises Up.

October 15th, afternoon.

Shen Shixing, Shen Nian, Feng Bao and their entourage returned to the capital.

As an imperial envoy dispatched to the capital, the first thing he naturally had to do upon returning was to meet with the emperor and report back.

Shen Nian and the other two changed into their official robes, tidied their appearance, and carried the case files. When they arrived at the Daming Gate, Fang Ping, the eunuch beside the young Wanli Emperor, brought him an imperial edict.

"His Majesty's decree: The three of you have had a tiring business trip and need not all come to the palace to report. You may simply hand over the case files to Eunuch Feng for submission. Grand Secretary Shen and Scholar Shen may return to their residences to rest. If there are any related details to report, you may discuss them at the morning court tomorrow."

"This old servant obeys the decree!" Feng Bao said with a smile, bowing first.

Fang Ping looked to the side and said, "Grand Secretary Shen, Scholar Shen, His Majesty has ordered carriages to be prepared for you two to return to your residence!"

Seeing Wanli's arrangement, Shen Nian couldn't help but frown slightly.

Of the four imperial envoys, the one who acts during the Shenshi hour (3-5 PM) is the chief envoy, and the case files should be submitted by the Shenshi envoy.

Even if the young Wanli Emperor were considerate of the three and allowed them to go home and rest first, the case file should still be handed over to Fang Ping so that he could submit it to the Forbidden City.

Sending Feng Bao, the deputy clerk, to the palace to report while Shen Shixing was standing unharmed and healthy in front of the Daming Gate was disrespectful to the chief clerk, Shen Shixing.

It was obvious that the young Wanli Emperor was dissatisfied with this mission.

This was done to warn the foreign officials: to deceive the foreign officials is to deceive the emperor.

Just as Shen Nian was about to express his dissatisfaction, he heard Shen Shixing cup his hands and say, "Your subject obeys the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Immediately, Shen Shixing handed the closed case file in his arms to Feng Bao, then looked at Shen Nian and said, "Ziheng, quickly thank the emperor!"

Shen Nianzhi knew it was inappropriate to discuss the emperor's edict here, so he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree, Your subject thanks you!"

Soon, Feng Bao strode excitedly toward the Forbidden City, while Shen Shixing and Shen Nian headed toward the carriage.

"Lord Shen, is it appropriate for the chief clerk to order the deputy clerk to submit the closed case file while the chief clerk is present?" Shen Nian said with dissatisfaction.

Shen Shixing looked around and, seeing that there was no one within ten steps of the two, explained, "His Majesty lost face this time. He did this only to vent his anger. It's alright! It's alright! From now on, the imperial censors will be able to supervise the dispatched officials. I'm already very satisfied with this result. There's no need to fuss over this matter!"

After saying that, Shen Shixing patted Shen Nian on the shoulder and strode towards the carriage that would take him home.

Shen Nian smiled helplessly.

It was only because of Shen Shixing's good temper that he could tolerate this treatment. If it had been Yin Zhengmao or Hai Rui, they would have immediately written a protest memorial at the Daming Gate.

The young Wanli Emperor's actions were not directed at Shen Shixing, but were actually intended for the benefit of all the officials.

In the eyes of the court officials, eunuchs and palace officials only had eyes for the emperor, and they were despicable and shameless for using any means to serve the emperor.

But in the eyes of the young Wanli Emperor, this was how eunuchs and palace officials should be; a good eunuch was one who was loyal to him.

Shen Nian calmed himself down and decided that during his daily lectures in a few days, he should subtly hint at Wanli's desire to rule personally. He believed that it was true that Wanli wanted to take control of the government, but if he prioritized personal preferences and royal affairs over the well-being of the people, he would be going astray.

……

Half an hour later, Shen Nian returned to the Su residence.

Shen Yanche, Shen Nian's son, hugged her leg to welcome her, while her sweet and adorable daughter, Shen Zhiyi (named by Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi), looked at Shen Nian with bright, smiling eyes.

Shen's mother and Gu Yue'er personally cooked a table full of delicious dishes for Shen Nian, which instantly relieved Shen Nian's fatigue.

Family has always been the best medicine to heal Shen Nian's physical and mental exhaustion.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Cabinet Office.

Zhang Juzheng and Yin Zhengmao learned of what had happened at the Daming Gate.

“Ru Mo is really… really too weak-willed! His Majesty’s actions are not only disrespectful to him as the chief envoy, but also a warning to us that we cannot deceive the inner court officials! I can’t stand it. I will submit a memorial to remind His Majesty that it is against the rules to order Feng Bao, as the deputy envoy, to bring the case files to the Emperor to report back!” Yin Zhengmao said angrily.

If Feng Bao were not the deputy imperial envoy, there would be no problem handing the case file over to him.

However, as a deputy imperial envoy, Feng Bao was overstepping his bounds by doing things that only the chief envoy could do.

It's impossible that the young Wanli Emperor was unaware of this rule.

This action was an expression of dissatisfaction with the severe punishment of the eunuchs.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, "Such trivial tricks are nothing to worry about. His Majesty is just maintaining imperial power. In his eyes, the eunuchs are always his arms, and if the power of the ministers is too great, they will easily deceive the emperor!"

Zhang Juzheng at that time could clearly sense the young Wanli Emperor's desire for power.

In his eyes, this is normal.

He could not stop the gradual increase of imperial power, nor did he need to.

His mind was entirely focused on the new policies and reforms.

As long as the young Wanli Emperor doesn't do anything too outrageous, Zhang Juzheng won't criticize him like he did two or three years ago.

Some pitfalls can only be felt by falling into them firsthand, allowing the young Wanli Emperor to understand the true path and how to be a good emperor.

“I really can’t stand it. Tomorrow morning I will speak to His Majesty about it and let him know that this is very inappropriate and shows a lack of magnanimity as a wise ruler!” Yin Zhengmao said.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly.

"No need! Tomorrow at court, someone will teach His Majesty a lesson. For the sake of the new policies, the cabinet can have differing opinions from His Majesty, but it cannot oppose him!"

Yin Zhengmao's eyes suddenly lit up; he knew who was going to teach young Wanli.

He immediately nodded in agreement.

The cabinet did not oppose the young Wanli Emperor in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the new policies and to allow him to grow through setbacks.

Otherwise, if Zhang Juzheng had led his ministers to teach the young Wanli Emperor a lesson, the young Wanli Emperor might have spent his days weeping and even developed a strong aversion to handling state affairs.

……

The following day, 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 the memorials submitted over the past three days, the young Wanli Emperor sat up straight and began to speak about the floods in Southern Zhili.

"Yesterday, Grand Secretary Shen, Grand Secretary Daban, and Academician Shen completed the tasks I assigned them and returned to the capital. After reviewing the case files, I realized the hardships faced by the common people and the chaos in the officialdom of Southern Zhili."

"Next, the court will focus on rectifying the officialdom in Southern Zhili and severely crack down on corrupt and derelict officials. In addition, besides the censors who can supervise the dispatched eunuchs on a daily basis, I have also ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to strengthen the education of the dispatched eunuchs."

……

"Yesterday afternoon, after seeing me, the Grand Chamberlain knelt down and wept bitterly, believing that it was his lax discipline that led to the eunuchs' moral depravity and harm to the people, disgracing the royal family. He begged me to punish him severely. I know that this is not the Grand Chamberlain's fault. Compared to the local officials who have been investigated and punished for harming the people, the black sheep among the eunuchs are few and far between. This matter will be let go and need not be discussed again in the future!"

Upon hearing this, many officials looked up at the young Wanli Emperor.

This statement reveals the young Wanli Emperor's favoritism towards his inner court officials.

However, as everyone knows, very few eunuchs were investigated and punished, not because they were good enough, but because officials in the outer court had never had the power to monitor them.

After saying this, the young Wanli Emperor looked at the three Grand Secretaries first, and seeing that none of them intended to stand up, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

When he said this in court, he was telling the officials that the inner court officials were still the people he trusted most, and still his hands and eyes.

Not far from the throne.

Upon hearing his name called, Feng Bao bowed his head and made a gesture of respect.

The feeling of the emperor personally backing him up made him extremely happy.

He reaffirmed that the inner court officials should be solely concerned with the emperor's interests, while the responsibility of the outer court officials lay in considering the people's welfare.

Just as the young Wanli Emperor was about to end the regular court session, Chen Kai, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!" Chen Kai said loudly.

"Chief Censor Chen, speak!" The young Wanli Emperor looked at Chen Kai, a sudden unease rising in his heart. Chen Kai cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe there was something inappropriate in what you just said!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Upon hearing this, all the officials' eyes turned to Chen Ti.

"Your Majesty just said that there are far fewer corrupt eunuchs who harm the people than officials in the outer court. I think it's not that the eunuchs are good enough, but that no one can supervise them."

"Your Majesty proposed that in the future, the Imperial Censors could supervise the eunuchs dispatched to local areas. I believe that this is far from sufficient. The Imperial Censors can hardly know what the eunuchs do. They can only monitor their private morality and whether they have committed any dereliction of duty or embezzlement, but they cannot monitor anything else."

"For example, Sun Long, the eunuch in charge of textile production in Suzhou and Hangzhou who was recently executed, had no personal moral faults. He misappropriated disaster relief funds in order to complete the court's tasks. If the censors did not know his specific tasks, it would be difficult to supervise him."

"I suggest that a register of examinations be compiled for the eunuchs dispatched to other regions, and that the Censorate and the local censors be given full supervision!"

After saying this, Chen Zi took out a memorial from his bosom.

"Your Majesty, this is the 'Evaluation and Supervision Strategy for Eunuchs Dispatched to Foreign Regions' that I have written."

Just when the officials thought Chen Ti was about to present this proposal to the young Wanli Emperor, Chen Ti opened the memorial and began to read it aloud.

“After the Yongle Emperor, the number of eunuchs dispatched to other regions increased daily. Some were in charge of mining taxes, some were in charge of textile manufacturing, and some were in charge of border defense. They were supposed to be conveying the emperor’s words, but many of them were corrupt and harmful to the people, exorbitantly levied taxes, and interfered in criminal matters... This was a real concern for the nation.”

"The problem with eunuchs is that their power is unchecked and lacks oversight. I suggest that we emulate the civil service performance evaluation system, with censors conducting on-site audits and the Censorate compiling a list for supervision... The results should be presented directly to the Emperor."

……

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider the suffering of the people, to investigate the calamities caused by eunuchs, and to grant my request. In this way, the eunuchs will be deterred and the people will be able to live in peace and prosperity."

……

As the young Wanli Emperor listened to Chen Kai's loud and clear voice, his face grew increasingly gloomy.

If eunuchs were to be evaluated and supervised by the Censorate like officials of the outer court, it would be like the Imperial Censor becoming the superior of the Five City Garrison Command, and the Censorate becoming the superior of the dispatched eunuchs.

In this way, many of the royal family's secrets would be known to the Censorate.

Zhang Juzheng, Yin Zhengmao, Wang Xijue, Shen Nian, and others became increasingly excited as they listened.

Chen Zi was quite sensible.

He only mentioned setting up performance evaluations for the eunuchs sent to the capital, rather than supervising the twenty-four departments of the inner court. In doing so, he left the royal family with a certain degree of freedom.

Furthermore, Chen Kai claimed that the Censorate's direct reporting to the young Wanli Emperor, bypassing the cabinet, was actually for the sake of the imperial family, allowing the young Wanli Emperor to engage in some harmless "private activities."

Currently, the eunuchs dispatched by the Ming Dynasty are mainly divided into three categories.

One type is the military garrison eunuchs who monitor generals, guard local areas, and report military intelligence.

One type is the eunuchs who collect taxes and manage monopolies, such as those in the textile industry, maritime trade, and tax collection.

Another category consists of eunuchs who handle routine tasks such as supervising canal transport, overseeing construction projects, and managing grain reserves.

These dispatched eunuchs operated independently of the Ming Dynasty's outer court, bypassing the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat, and were virtually lawless.

Regulation is indeed necessary.

Emperor Wanli paused for a moment before speaking: "The eunuchs dispatched to the provinces are my representatives sent to supervise local areas. Their duties are the same as those of the Censors of the Censorate who supervise all officials in the country. If I were to order the Censorate to supervise the dispatched eunuchs and establish performance evaluations, it would not only violate ancestral rules but also affect efficiency. I will not allow it!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zi reached for his waist and suddenly pulled out a document that was at least two inches thick from his official robe.

This was the thickest document Shen Nian had ever seen.

While officials were speculating about what the document contained,

Wow! Wow!
Chen Zi didn't hold the document properly, causing one side to fall to the ground. The folded pages unfolded, stretching out very long, and were filled with tiny, fly-sized characters.

Chen Kai hurriedly picked up the document, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, after I learned that the Imperial Inspector Cao Zheng had been harmed by the eunuchs sent to the capital, I ordered the censors of the Censorate to privately compile a list of the eunuchs' violations of the law."

"This document contains 386 instances of eunuchs violating the law, including impeachment memorials from officials, feedback from ordinary people, and local tabloids. The content involves corruption, interference in local affairs, oppression of the local good, and misappropriation of local reserves of silver and grain. Although many of these cases lack concrete evidence, I believe that as long as investigations are carried out, a large number of lawless eunuchs will be exposed."

“Your Majesty, in the past, the eunuchs dispatched to the provinces were indeed Your Majesty’s eyes and hands, helping Your Majesty to understand the national affairs and people’s livelihood. However, nowadays, these dispatched eunuchs, relying on the Emperor’s power, have become thorns in the side of the people. The implementation of the policy of evaluating and supervising dispatched eunuchs is not to seize the power of the eunuchs by the Censorate, but for the stability of our Great Ming Dynasty!”

……

With tears in his eyes, Chen Zi knelt down on the ground after speaking.

"I second the proposal!"

All the censors of the Censorate knelt down and bowed.

"I second the proposal!"

The six officials standing in the middle all knelt down and clasped their hands in greeting.

The censors and officials of the Ming Dynasty have always operated independently, and there has been much discord among them. This time, however, it was the most unified and united group of opinions that Shen Nian had ever seen since he entered officialdom.

Because of the death of Cao Zheng, the Imperial Censor of Southern Zhili, the officials of the Censorate and the Bureau of Remonstrance were all holding their breath. The fact that Emperor Wanli summoned Feng Bao but not Shen Shixing yesterday was the fuse for the mass remonstrance.

At this moment, Feng Bao's face turned ashen.

If this policy is implemented, the power of eunuchs will be weakened, while the power of censors and officials will rise to a new level.

"I second the proposal!"

At that moment, some civil officials from other government offices also knelt down and clasped their hands in greeting.

The young Wanli Emperor trembled with rage as he looked at the nearly 70% of the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground.

He originally thought that the only obstacle preventing him from exercising imperial power was Zhang Juzheng.

As long as Zhang Juzheng did not object to matters of state, he could do as he pleased. He never expected that these censors would dare to refute him like this.

Censor-in-Chiefs have always been typical figures who fought against other officials and even the emperor.

Zhang Juzheng, Shen Shixing, Yin Zhengmao, and the heads of the six ministries did not speak.

Their voices carried immense power.

Seconding the motion would only add fuel to the fire, forcing the young Wanli Emperor to compromise; opposing it would also only add fuel to the fire, making the censors even angrier.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard, his face calm.

His statement yesterday that "someone taught the young Wanli Emperor a lesson" referred to the censors and officials in charge of remonstrance.

One important indicator of whether the emperors of the Ming Dynasty could rule personally was whether they could make reasonable use of the censors and officials who could speak out against injustice.

The current Wanli Emperor clearly does not have this ability.

The thick document that Chen Kai produced left the young Wanli speechless; the deeper the investigation went, the greater the loss of face for the imperial family.

"I humbly request Your Majesty's approval to implement the 'Evaluation and Supervision Policy for Eunuchs Sent Abroad'!" Chen Kai said loudly.

Chen Kai's current demeanor suggests a potential revival of the censorate.

"We humbly request Your Majesty's approval to implement the 'Evaluation and Supervision Policy for Eunuchs Sent to Foreign Regions'!" A group of censors and officials shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor on the throne had reddened eyes, and tears were welling up in his eyes.

He had never been pressured by so many officials before.

Seeing that the young Wanli Emperor had tears in his eyes, and fearing that he might have an emotional breakdown and do something unexpected, Zhang Juzheng immediately strode forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, this policy involves the stability of both the inner court and the outer court. For the time being, Your Majesty must find it difficult to make a decision. I suggest that Your Majesty think about it carefully and hold a public discussion at the next court meeting!"

After saying that, Zhang Juzheng turned to look at Chen Kai.

Chen Zi nodded slightly. If they pressed any further, something terrible would happen.

After the young Wanli Emperor nodded slowly, the two eunuchs said in unison, "Court adjourned!"

Immediately, the young Wanli Emperor strode away, and the kneeling officials slowly rose to their feet.

The group of censors and officials walked out of the Imperial Gate with great pride and high spirits. For them, their actions today were likely to be a group remonstrance that would go down in history.

(End of this chapter)