I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 320 Autumn River Dive! Shen Yiguan's Suicide Attempt (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
late at night.

After listening to the silk merchant Hu De recount all the details of hiring a hitman, Shen Yiguan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

Although he had never worked in criminal law, he was familiar with the capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

It's only a matter of time before the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds the three murderers, unless they are all killed.

However, the entire Beizhili region was searching for the three men, and Shen Yiguan and Hu De had no ability to kill them to cover their tracks.

Once the three murderers are caught, Hu De will inevitably be exposed.

Shen Yiguan believed that the Embroidered Uniform Guard could find Hu De with just that bag of gold beans, and finding Hu De would mean that the mudslinging would be thrown on his head.

Nowadays, even if it's not excrement, it's still excrement if there's mud stuck in your crotch.

He must save himself.

Shen Yiguan looked at Hu De and said, "Go back first, and I'll find out what's going on. Remember, stay home as much as possible, don't go to gambling dens again, and don't use gold coins again! If the three murderers are caught, I'll send you away from the capital immediately and send you to hide at sea for a few years."

"Good, good! I hope those three murderers won't implicate me!" Hu De's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately calmed down a bit.

He was waiting for Shen Yiguan to say those words; he wanted to be associated with Shen Yiguan.

Although he was wealthy, Shen Yiguan was far superior to him in gathering intelligence on the government.

He was unwilling to leave the capital unless absolutely necessary. If he really had to flee, he would have to rely on Shen Yiguan's connections to smuggle himself to the sea.

Hu De then left the Shen residence.

Shen Yiguan paced back and forth in his study, pondering how to resolve this predicament.

Unlike Hood, he didn't harbor any wishful thinking.

Hu De felt that the Embroidered Uniform Guard might not be able to catch the murderer, and even if they did, they might not implicate him. If they really wanted to make him a suspect, he could still escape to the sea with Shen Yiguan's intelligence.

Shen Yiguan, from the bottom of his heart, did not want to be associated with Hu De.

Once he helps Hu De, he will become an accomplice in the assassination of Shen Yaoshan.

Given the special treatment the young Wanli Emperor gave to the Shen family father and son, the crime of being an accomplice was enough to ruin his reputation and land him in prison.

"It's better to be honest! It's better to be honest sooner!" Shen Yiguan murmured.

……

Shen Yiguan sat in his study, unable to sleep all night.

Around four in the morning, he washed up, changed into his official robes, and headed to the Hanlin Academy.

Today is the day Shen Yiguan is on duty as the lecturer.

After arriving at the Wenhua Hall, he delivered his lesson smoothly, following the lesson plan he had prepared in advance.

After the lecturers dispersed, Shen Yiguan informed the eunuch Fang Ping that he had important matters to report to the young Wanli Emperor.

After a while.

Led by the eunuch Fang Ping, Shen Yiguan arrived at the side hall of Wenhua Hall, in front of the young Wanli Emperor.

This is a time for young Wanli to rest and be alone.

A moment later, the young Wanli Emperor was to go to the main hall to review memorials.

At that time, the cabinet ministers on duty, Wang Xijue and Shen Shixing, as well as Wang Jiaping, the Hanlin lecturer in charge of recording the emperor's daily activities, will be waiting by the side.

"Shen Shijiang, what important matter cannot be discussed at the end of the lecture, and why must you meet with me privately?" the young Wanli Emperor asked in confusion.

thump!
Shen Yiguan knelt heavily on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I...I...I have found the mastermind behind the assassination of Grand Secretary Shen's father!"

"What? Who is the mastermind behind this?" The young Wanli Emperor asked in surprise.

Shi Qing had not yet announced the capture of the three murderers, nor had he found the middle-aged man sitting in the carriage, yet Shen Yiguan claimed to have found the mastermind behind it all, which was simply unbelievable.

"Your Majesty, the mastermind behind this is Hu De, a silk merchant from southern Beijing."

“Last night, after I finished my duties at the yamen, I returned home, where Hu De, a silk merchant from my hometown with whom I had dined several times, came to find me…”

Shen Yiguan reported to Xiao Wanli in detail what Hu De had said the night before, that he had confessed to being the mastermind behind the scenes and had asked for his help, otherwise he would frame him.

After the report was submitted.

Shen Yiguan continued, “Your Majesty, as a disciple of the late Emperor and Your Majesty’s daily lecturer, I would never do such a despicable thing. However, Hu De is trying to frame me for this simply because I said a few words of envy for Grand Secretary Shen’s political achievements at a private banquet. I am innocent!”

……

"Your Majesty, I admit that my political talent is far inferior to that of Grand Secretary Shen. I also admit that I did say a few offensive things to Grand Secretary Shen after drinking that night, but I absolutely had no intention of harming Grand Secretary Shen's father. I have always supported the new policies, and I hope Your Majesty will see the truth!"

Bang!
After Shen Yiguan finished speaking, he slammed his head heavily on the ground.

Last night, he pondered all night and realized that if he didn't want to take the blame, he had to confess quickly, and he had to confess in front of the young Wanli Emperor.

Once the murderer is caught and confesses, or is arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and interrogated in the imperial prison, it will be too late!
The Imperial Guards, eager to gain merit, would never listen to his sincere but unsubstantiated explanation.

After listening, the young Wanli Emperor thought for a moment and then said expressionlessly, "If you are innocent, I will not wrong you; if you are guilty, I will not let you off easily. I will immediately send men to arrest the silk merchant Hu De. You may leave for now and continue with your official duties as usual. If you are involved, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will definitely inform you!"

"Your subject... Your subject obeys!" Shen Yiguan kowtowed and then left the Wenhua Hall.

“Xuan Shiqing!” Shen Nian said to Fang Ping beside her.

……

A moment later, Shen Yiguan walked out of the forbidden area.

He was in great pain at that moment.

As he had expected, the young Wanli Emperor adopted a purely businesslike attitude, showing no trust in him whatsoever, and offering no words of comfort whatsoever.

"It seems that the only way to prove my innocence is through death!" Shen Yiguan murmured.

After returning to the Hanlin Academy, Shen Yiguan quickly wrote a farewell letter that he had prepared the night before. He then put the letter in his pocket and went to the Jinshui River at the southeast corner of the imperial wall.

The contents of his suicide note were: He reiterated his innocence and stated that since entering officialdom, he had cherished his reputation and had never done anything morally questionable. Unable to prove his innocence, and as the lecturer to the young Wanli Emperor, he could not allow future generations to say that the lecturer to the young Wanli Emperor was of bad character and had hired someone to kill him. Therefore, he decided to prove his innocence with his death.

Of course, this death was faked; it was to express an attitude and to gain pity.

If he truly wanted to die, he wouldn't have chosen to jump into the river; he would have chosen to hang himself inside the house or take poison.

When Shen Yiguan reached the banks of the Jinshui River, he was taken aback.

He clearly remembered that there used to be many soldiers on the riverbank, but now there wasn't a single one.

The spot where he was standing was at a corner; if he jumped, no one would be able to see him.

If he were to throw himself into the river in a crowded area, it would seem like he was putting on a show.

Shen Yiguan thought for a moment and said, "In order to retain my official position, I have no choice but to take the risk!"

Immediately.

Shen Yiguan took off his official robes, hat, and boots, placed his suicide note on top, and jumped suddenly from the riverbank.

Swish!
The river water was icy cold and instantly submerged him.

Shen Yiguan was completely unable to swim.

The moment he jumped, he regretted it, because he realized that he was committing suicide. If you commit suicide, you can't struggle, and if you don't struggle, no one will see you, and you will be drowned quickly.

puff!puff!puff!
In the blink of an eye, Shen Yiguan swallowed several mouthfuls of river water and was choked so badly that he couldn't breathe.

He lost consciousness in no time.

Just then, Shen Nian, who was on her way to the Hanlin Academy, passed by this place.

He first saw a set of official robes and hat and a letter. Before he could even read the contents of the envelope or what rank the official robes indicated, he saw a person floating in the river.

He looked around and found that there was no one else around.

"This...this...did he fall into the river?" Shen Nian quickly took off his official robes, then ran to the riverbank where the person had fallen in and jumped into the river.

Shen Nian is a skilled swimmer.

He quickly swam to the person who had fallen into the water, grabbed the person's waist, and then put the person's arm on his shoulder.

Only then did he see the face of the person who had fallen into the water. "Shen Shijiang?" Shen Nian was quite surprised. At this moment, Shen Yiguan had completely fainted, and his life or death was unknown.

At this moment, Shen Nian was reluctant to save him.

Because he knew that Shen Yiguan had always opposed him, and that this man was skilled in factional struggles, able to deceive the emperor and control his subordinates, and would later become the leader of the Zhejiang faction. The inaction of the young Wanli Emperor in his later years was inseparable from his inaction.

Just then, several Imperial Guards ran over from a distance.

Upon seeing Shen Nian in the river, without saying a word, they all jumped in.

Shen Nian was helpless.

They had no choice but to work with the Imperial Guards to rescue Shen Yiguan and bring him to the river.

Subsequently, two Imperial Guards began to provide first aid to Shen Yiguan.

After Shen Nian went ashore, a member of the Imperial Guard quickly brought her a set of clean clothes and a towel from a short distance away.

Shen Nian changed her clothes, dried her hair with a towel, and then, out of curiosity, picked up the letter from Shen Yiguan's official robes.

The envelope read: "Your subject Shen Yiguan's last words, please read them personally, Your Majesty."

With these words in hand, Shen Nian naturally could not tear open the seal on his own. He could only tell the Imperial Guard standing nearby to hand the letter to the young Wanli Emperor.

Shen Nian couldn't understand why Shen Yiguan would jump into the river.

If he hadn't gone into the river to save people, Shen Yiguan would probably have drifted downstream and drowned.

"Ahem...ahem!"

Just then, Shen Yiguan spat out a mouthful of river water and slowly woke up.

Shen Yiguan opened his eyes, looked at the Imperial Guards around him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

His plan succeeded.

"Why save me? Why save me? Let me die! Let me die!" Shen Yiguan said sadly, making a move to jump into the river again.

At this moment, Shen Nian's voice rang out leisurely.

"Shen Shidu, what happened that made you so depressed?" Shen Nian walked up to him.

Shen Yiguan was taken aback when he saw Shen Nian's wet hair and ill-fitting casual clothes.

"Grand Secretary Shen, you jumped into the river too?"

The Imperial Guard standing nearby quickly explained, "Shen Shidu, it was Grand Secretary Shen who saved you. If I, Grand Secretary Shen, had saved you, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

Hearing this, Shen Yiguan was overjoyed. Shen Nian saving him only made him seem more eager to die.

However, Shen Yiguan still wore a sorrowful expression, muttering, "Why save me? Why save me? Let me die! Let me die!"

Shen Nian felt that Shen Yiguan was somewhat eccentric.

"Shen Shidu may have lost his mind. You guys should stop him from jumping into the river again!" After saying that, Shen Nian left.

Soon.

When the young Wanli Emperor saw Shen Yiguan's suicide note, he also learned that Shen Nian had saved him from a failed attempt to jump into the river.

"Could it be that he is truly innocent?" the young Wanli murmured.

It's approaching noon.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard posted notices outside Zhengyang Gate, outside the Shuntian Prefecture government office, outside the Three Judicial Offices, and outside all the city gates, stating that the three assassins who killed Shen Yaoshan had been captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison.

soon.

Shen Nian received further news: the suspected mastermind behind the assassination had also been arrested and imprisoned, and was currently under interrogation.

Just as Shen Nian was wondering about the Jinyiwei's amazing efficiency, he heard the news that Shen Yiguan had been taken to the imperial prison by the Jinyiwei.

"My father was stabbed, is it related to Shen Yiguan?" Shen Nian murmured to herself.

soon.

The news that Shen Yiguan had attempted to jump into the river but was rescued by Shen Nian, and that he had been taken to the imperial prison by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, spread throughout the various government offices in the capital.

Officials were speculating about the reasons, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not release any information.

……

In the afternoon, in the Cabinet Office, on the second floor of the main hall.

Through Zhang Juzheng's narration, Yin Zhengmao, Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing, and Shen Nian learned the ins and outs of the matter.

Currently, the identities of the three murderers have been confirmed, and Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing even went to the imperial prison to identify them.

In addition, Hu De, the silk merchant who hired the killer, confessed to the crime after being identified by the voice of the murderer Ma Hanyong, as well as after finding that the gold beans in his home matched those in the murderer's possession, and after being repeatedly seen at the Jingnan gambling den.

However, he claimed that his mastermind was Shen Yiguan.

Shen Yiguan was the first to expose Hu De as the mastermind, and he claimed that Hu De had framed him.

Currently, the only unclear point in this case is...

The question remains: was Shen Yiguan the ultimate mastermind or was he wrongly accused?

Yin Zhengmao curled his lip and said, "Hmph, trying to imitate me by jumping into the river. Anyone who jumps into a river doesn't want to die. If they really wanted to die, they should hang themselves or take poison. Ziheng, you shouldn't have saved him!"

“It doesn’t seem like he jumped into the river for real. If I don’t save him, he might really drown!” Shen Nian said seriously.

Yin Zhengmao disliked Shen Yiguan, a man who was adept at navigating social situations.

However, Zhang Juzheng, Shen Shixing, and Wang Xijue all felt that Shen Yiguan was quite capable.

“Grand Secretary Yin, Ziheng, I don’t think Shen Shidu would do such a shameless thing. Let’s wait for news from the trial in the imperial prison. If it really was him, we will definitely not let him off easily!” Shen Shixing said.

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said, "This matter should not involve personal likes or dislikes. Let's all wait for the truth!"

Zhang Juzheng did not want a Hanlin Academy lecturer and daily instructor to be involved in such a scandal.

……

Near dusk, inside the Wenhua Hall.

The young Wanli Emperor sat on his throne, with Feng Bao standing beside him. Shi Qing below reported the details of the interrogation to the young Wanli Emperor.

Silk merchant Hu De claimed that it was because Shen Yiguan told him at the banquet that killing Shen Yaoshan would allow Shen Nian to return home to observe mourning for his parents, would stop the court's series of policies that favored the common people and were harsh on wealthy merchants, would cause the Yaodong Trading Company to decline, and would allow private commerce to return to normal. That's why he hired someone to kill Shen Yaoshan.

Shen Yiguan, however, refused to admit that he was the mastermind behind the assassination of Shen Yaoshan.

Because neither of them could find any evidence or witnesses, the trial progressed slowly.

Little Wanli thought about it.

"Shi Qing, what kind of person do you think Shen Yiguan is? Is it possible that he would do such a thing?"

Shi Qing thought for a moment.

“Your Majesty, Shen Shidu is a kind person and has excellent relationships in official circles. However… however, he often gathers with officials, merchants, and scholars from Zhejiang, which raises suspicions of forming cliques for personal gain!”

"As for whether he was the mastermind behind it, I think it is unlikely, because Hu De said that in order to reduce his punishment, and Shen Shidu is conservative in his work and would not do such a desperate thing. But it is possible that he was drunk and acted recklessly and instigated this matter."

Based on his feelings during the trial, Shi Qing expressed his thoughts, but left room for interpretation.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor looked at Feng Bao, who was standing to the side.

Feng Bao cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, if there is no concrete evidence, you should be lenient. However, the crime of slandering a cabinet minister is undeniable. As for the so-called suspicion of forming cliques for personal gain, this old servant believes it is nothing more than some disgruntled officials banding together for warmth!"

Upon hearing this, the young Wanli Emperor's eyes lit up. He suddenly remembered a street pamphlet he had recently read, which contained the following sentence: "Party strife is inevitable, but it depends on the emperor's silent efforts to make them attack each other and not unite."

To put it bluntly: factional strife is unavoidable in every dynasty. A wise emperor can make different factions attack and expose each other, rather than let them unite.

The young Wanli Emperor suddenly realized that the best way to control Shen Nian and prevent him from becoming too powerful and developing into someone like Zhang Juzheng was to find him a rival.

Shen Yiguan is a very suitable candidate, and he can use this matter to make Shen Yiguan loyal to him.

Immediately, the young Wanli Emperor knew how to handle the case.

(End of this chapter)