I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 292 Slammed! The Little Wanli Emperor's Obedience Test: Not a Single Person Complies

February 10th, early morning.

The young Wanli Emperor rode in his imperial carriage from the Qianqing Palace to the Wenhua Hall.

Last night, after much deliberation, he finally decided on the method for selecting the new cabinet minister.

He believed that the direction of the new policies and reforms was already set, the Ming Dynasty was prospering, and the national treasury was becoming increasingly abundant. After he took power, he was fully capable of leading the government and making decisions independently. The most important quality of the cabinet ministers should be: obedience.

To be obedient means to listen to what he says.

Obedience and loyalty held completely different meanings in the eyes of the young Wanli Emperor.

Loyalty is the bottom line for a subject, while obedience means following the emperor's orders without question.

Zhang Juzheng was very loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and he considered the stability and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty in everything he did. However, he was disobedient and made the emperor listen to him. Therefore, the sign that the young Wanli Emperor took personal control of the government was Zhang Juzheng's retirement.

After the young Wanli Emperor was not allowed to rule in his own right, another powerful minister like Zhang Juzheng emerged in the cabinet, hindering him in everything.

After assuming personal rule, the emperor should be the one who commands everything, while the civil and military officials are merely his arms.

His idea was naturally influenced by his grandfather, the Jiajing Emperor, who viewed officials as household slaves and the world as his private property, believing that one could not rule personally if one could not make decisions unilaterally.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor had already devised a plan to test whether the five cabinet minister candidates were obedient.

……

A moment later, the young Wanli Emperor arrived at the Wenhua Hall.

Pan Sheng, Wang Xijue, Yu Youding, Liang Menglong, and Shen Nian were already waiting in the side hall.

All five believed that the young Wanli Emperor must be asking them about politics when he summoned them to the cabinet, and how they would govern and how to bring prosperity to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, they all prepared their own speeches.

The five people sat together chatting and laughing, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Neither side sees the other as an opponent; each considers their own entry into the cabinet an honor, and the other's entry into the cabinet an honor for the other, and they do not harbor any enmity or resentment because of it.

A moment later, Pan Sheng was the first to enter the hall for an audience.

About fifteen minutes later, Pan Sheng left Wenhua Hall with a gloomy expression. He did not return to the side hall or warm pavilion, but went straight out of the palace.

Immediately afterwards, Yu Youding entered the hall.

He left the Wenhua Hall about fifteen minutes later and headed directly toward the Meridian Gate.

Then came Liang Menglong and Wang Xijue.

The two were even faster, leaving the Wenhua Hall in less than a quarter of an hour.

Although these people did not return to the side hall and warm pavilion, Shen Nian could tell from the speed at which they were summoned that their communication with Xiao Wanli was very brief.

"That's not right! If it's about politics, no matter how concisely you speak, you can't possibly finish in a quarter of an hour!" Shen Nian said, looking puzzled.

soon.

Shen Nian, as the last candidate for cabinet minister, entered the Wenhua Hall.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor sat upright in front, his face somewhat serious, while Feng Bao stood to one side, his head bowed.

Emperor Wanli looked at Shen Nian and went straight to the point: "Minister Shen, I have only asked you one question during this audience."

"Next month's ancestral tomb visit will be the first time I pay homage to my ancestors as emperor. To show my filial piety, I hope to make it a grand affair. In addition to the existing budget of the inner court, I plan to take an extra 100,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury. However, the Grand Secretary disagrees. Do you have a good plan to persuade the Grand Secretary?"

After stating the question, the young Wanli Emperor added, "Think carefully before you answer, as this concerns your career!"

Shen Nian was taken aback at first, then instantly understood what the young Wanli was thinking.

It is clear.

The young Wanli Emperor wanted to use this question to challenge Zhang Juzheng's arrangements and test whether the cabinet candidates would not only not question his decision, but also come up with good strategies to help him refute Zhang Juzheng.

He wanted cabinet ministers who were obedient and would follow the emperor's orders without question, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.

Emperor Wanli had already made his requirements for cabinet members public.

Shen Nian slightly pursed her lips.

The young Wanli Emperor thought he had a brilliant plan, but in reality, he was extremely naive.

He underestimated the integrity of the officials.

Judging from Shen Nian's understanding of Pan Sheng and the other three, and the speed at which they met with the emperor, the four of them absolutely did not agree with Xiao Wanli and refute Zhang Juzheng, nor would they consider strategies for Xiao Wanli's "extravagant and wasteful" actions.

Shen Nian bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Grand Secretary Zhang's proposal is entirely appropriate! The court urgently needs funds for opening up the seas, and Your Majesty should live within your means and simplify the preparations for the imperial tomb ceremony. This is not unfilial, but rather the greatest act of filial piety..."

"Enough! Enough!" The young Wanli Emperor suddenly stood up from his throne and looked at Shen Nian.

"Scholar Shen, you may leave!" the young Wanli Emperor said angrily.

Shen Nian's explanation not only matched Zhang Juzheng's, but even his tone was almost identical.

"Yes!" Shen Nian bowed and stepped back.

Anyone who supports the extravagant imperial tomb-visiting ceremony of the young Wanli Emperor in order to enter the cabinet will definitely be ridiculed by a group of officials. Even if the young Wanli Emperor strongly supports his entry into the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng, who has not yet retired, can still bring him down.

The duty of a minister is to correct the ruler's conduct, not to obey him.

After Shen Nian left, Xiao Wanli looked at Feng Bao with a wronged expression; the development of events was completely unexpected for him.

In less than half an hour, all five cabinet minister candidates had defeated him, though the degree of defeat varied.

"Your Excellency, they've gone too far! They show me no respect whatsoever! Is it so hard to listen to me? Is it so hard to obey my orders? Don't they know that if they can solve this problem for me, their chances of being admitted to the cabinet will be much higher? They dare to bully me like this before even being admitted to the cabinet. Once they are admitted, won't they be going to defy me in everything and make me feel completely restricted?" the young Wanli said angrily.

Feng Bao thought for a moment, then his eyes darted around.

"Your Majesty, they dare to speak so disobeyingly because Your Majesty has not yet assumed personal rule and has not yet demonstrated the power of the emperor."

"This old servant thinks that Minister Pan and Scholar Yu's answers are acceptable. Although they did not agree with Your Majesty, they still considered Your Majesty's face when they spoke. As for Minister Wang, Minister Liang, and Scholar Shen, they were too blunt and even... even looked down on Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing the words "child's eyesight," the young Wanli Emperor's face darkened further, and he even clenched his fists in anger.

"I am eighteen years old now, no longer a child!"

What he hated most was that the courtiers still treated him like a child.

Emperor Wanli paused for a moment and said, "The newly appointed cabinet members are tentatively set as Minister Pan and Academician Yu. I plan to announce them at the daily court session later!"

Emperor Wanli knew that Wang Xijue and Shen Nian were outstanding talents and could be put to good use; their entry into the cabinet would relieve much of his pressure.

But now he believes that holding power is the most important thing.

Once he has consolidated all power in the government and made the two men understand his intentions and obey him, he will then allow them to join the cabinet.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao was very excited.

He could accept anyone as long as Wang Xijue and Shen Nian didn't join the cabinet.

……

A moment later, Shen Nian returned to the Hanlin Academy.

As soon as they entered the front hall, they saw that Wang Xijue, Pan Sheng, Yu Youding, and Liang Menglong were all inside.

Before Shen Nian could speak...

Wang Xijue spoke first: "Ziheng, His Majesty has allocated an extra 100,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury for the imperial tomb ceremony, testing whether we can obey His Majesty's will and whether we are qualified to enter the cabinet. The four of us believe that this move is very inappropriate. We have decided to jointly submit a memorial to advise the emperor to be frugal. Are you willing to join us?" All four of them were ambitious and would never help the young Wanli Emperor to engage in extravagance for the sake of a cabinet position.

Shen Nian smiled slightly and said, "I'm willing!"

Although this move would embarrass the young Wanli Emperor, Shen Nian thought it was feasible.

Now that the young Wanli Emperor is getting closer to assuming personal rule, if he continues to act so immaturely, there will be many conflicts between the emperor and his ministers in the future.

Everyone must make him understand what the way of being a ruler truly means.

……

Near noon.

Just as many officials were speculating about which of the five men, Shen Nian and his associates, would become the new cabinet ministers, their joint memorial was sent to the Office of Transmission in a non-secret form.

The fact that the memorial was not a secret document meant that the Office of Transmission would make a copy and send the contents of the memorial to the Cabinet.

Soon, the contents of this memorial spread.

Cabinet value.

After reading the memorial, Yin Zhengmao burst out laughing and couldn't help but say, "Ziheng and the others are tough. That's how a subject should be. Anyone who indulges His Majesty's extravagance for the sake of a cabinet minister position, I'll throw them into the Jinshui River!"

Shen Shixing smiled helplessly.

"What the five did was not wrong, but they really disregarded His Majesty's feelings!"

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and murmured, "His Majesty is still not mature enough. After assuming personal rule, there will likely be many conflicts between the emperor and his ministers, at which point the two of them will be needed to mediate!"

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

"boom!"

Emperor Wanli threw the joint memorial signed by the five people directly out of the house.

"Rude ministers! They're all ruthless ministers! They always liked to contradict me like this, and now that I'm about to assume personal rule, they still dare to contradict me like this. After I take over the reins of power, won't I still be at their mercy!"

boom! boom! boom!
The young Wanli Emperor was so angry that he threw all the memorials on his desk away.

At this moment, he also wanted to do what the Jiajing Emperor did: drag these officials who had made him lose face to the Meridian Gate and give them a beating.

But he dared not.

He also had a headband on his head.

If he dares to do this, Zhang Juzheng will definitely refute him, and if he doesn't admit his mistake, Empress Dowager Li will surely stand up and may even threaten to depose him again.

The young Wanli Emperor may not listen to Zhang Juzheng, but he cannot ignore Empress Dowager Li, who has always listened to Zhang Juzheng on important state affairs.

After a moment's pause, the young Wanli Emperor said, "If I were to appoint cabinet ministers now, the ministers would surely be dissatisfied. Let's have a court discussion then!"

"Yes!"

Feng Bao quickly ran downstairs and picked up the joint memorial signed by the five people. He wanted to approve it on behalf of the emperor and write down the decision on the selection of cabinet ministers. Otherwise, there might be another group of ruthless ministers submitting memorials.

Every time the inner court wanted to withdraw money from the national treasury, it faced numerous difficulties.

Soon, the cabinet learned of the decision made by the young Wanli Emperor regarding the selection of cabinet ministers.

Zhang Juzheng threw aside the half-written memorial of remonstrance. If the young Wanli Emperor had not been so aware, he would certainly have submitted a memorial to advise him to be frugal.

……

February 13th, the second day of the second session of the imperial examination.

Early morning, Chang Chao.

To avoid suspicion, none of the five candidates for Grand Secretary attended the regular court sessions. Among them, Wang Xijue, Yu Youding, and Shen Nian were all examiners, and the three of them were grading papers at the examination hall today.

Shen Shixing, the chief examiner, was free to participate in regular court sessions.

After all the civil and military officials had gathered, the young Wanli Emperor spoke: "Since the Grand Secretary proposed the selection of a new Grand Secretary, I have reviewed all the memorials of recommendation from the ministers, but I still cannot decide on a candidate. In my haste the other day, I took some inappropriate measures, which I deeply regret. Today, in court, I would like to hear the ministers discuss and debate who is the best candidate for Grand Secretary. Ministers, speak freely!"

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor was not in a very good mood. He felt that all the ministers who had entered the cabinet dared to defy him. If that were the case, then he wouldn't care who entered the cabinet.

Soon, a clerk took the lead.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Pan, as a veteran official who has served three reigns and is the Minister of Rites, is fully qualified to serve as a cabinet minister. Your Majesty is young and still needs a mature and prudent official to provide advice... Minister Pan is truly the best choice!"

After he finished speaking, another official stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Liang is suitable for the position of Grand Secretary. At this time, our dynasty is rectifying military discipline and elevating the status of military officers to ensure the peace of the northern border of the Great Ming. Minister Liang is skilled in both civil and military affairs and has rich local experience. He is truly..."

After the two officials finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng, who was standing at the very front, suddenly stepped forward.

This surprised all the officials.

Normally, Zhang Juzheng would be the last to speak, summarizing the contents of the court discussion.

They stepped forward too early.

Zhang Juzheng walked to the front, first bowing to the young Wanli Emperor, and then said loudly, "Your Majesty, I believe that considering the current state of the cabinet, Hanlin Academician Wang Xijue and Vice Minister of Revenue Shen Nian are the most suitable candidates for the cabinet."

"At the beginning of the month, after the implementation of the Single Whip Law nationwide, it did not mean that the imperial court could collect taxes with peace of mind. Next, we still need to prevent land tax evasion, prevent merchants and gentry from evading taxes, and prevent the existence of exorbitant taxes in remote villages. The workload is still very heavy."

"In terms of ability, both of them are top-notch, and in terms of physical strength, they far surpass others. Especially after the implementation of the Maritime Trade Opening and Silver Inquiry policy, meticulous and bold cabinet ministers are needed to ensure the normal operation of maritime trade. At present, only Scholar Shen and Scholar Wang meet the criteria. Other candidates are better at defense than offense."

"After His Majesty assumes personal rule, what is needed is a cabinet that acts decisively and efficiently, not a cabinet that is old and incapable of innovation!"

……

In addition to describing the strengths of Shen Nian and Wang Xijue, Zhang Juzheng also discussed the weaknesses of the other three.

It took more than fifteen minutes.

After saying this, Zhang Juzheng looked around and raised his voice again.

"Everyone recommends their ideal cabinet minister, hoping to set aside sentiments of being from the same hometown, born in the same year, or being friends with someone, and to objectively and fairly assess a cabinet minister's contributions to the people!"

"Your Majesty, this old minister once again recommends Wang Xijue and Shen Nian for the cabinet. Anyone who opposes this old minister's proposal or has better candidates may debate with this old minister!"

Upon hearing this, all the officials under the Huangji Gate fell silent.

Although Zhang Juzheng was known for his domineering nature, he had never been as domineering as he was at this moment.

As Grand Secretary, he forcefully promoted two officials to the cabinet. Anyone who opposed him, except for the young Wanli Emperor, would be reprimanded.

This is clearly a one-man show.

Not far away, Yin Zhengmao straightened his chest.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng is the most powerful Zhang Juzheng.

He will surely ask for retirement after visiting the mausoleum, and this may be the last time he displays his "one-man rule" power.

Therefore, he had no scruples.

Zhang Juzheng was always a person who cared nothing for the country and its people, and had no regard for his own reputation.

Having been criticized as a powerful minister for many years, he is now willing to act as a domineering minister for the sake of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, and see who among the officials in the court supports him and who opposes him!
(End of this chapter)