I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 321 Little Wanli's Martial Arts Lesson! Shen Nian: When it comes to lecturing, I am proficient in both literature and martial arts! (Seeking monthly votes)

On the second day of the tenth month, at night, inside the imperial prison.

Feng Bao appeared before Shen Yiguan, a Hanlin Academy reader.

At this moment, Shen Yiguan was wearing a somewhat dirty white gauze robe (the inner lining of his official robes), his hair was messy, and he looked listless.

Although he was not tortured, being interrogated overnight in such a gloomy environment had left him with no trace of his former energy and spirit.

His figure was thin and frail, and he looked like a tattered rag hanging on the wall.

Upon seeing Feng Bao, Shen Yiguan ruffled his disheveled hair, then gripped the wooden pillar of the prison door, his eyes brimming with tears, and exclaimed with immense emotion, "Eunuch Feng, I... I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent!"

Feng Bao waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards and eunuchs behind him immediately withdrew.

“Shen Shidu, I hate it when officials jump into rivers, especially the Jinshui River!” Feng Bao said with a face full of resentment.

"I...I...Eunuch Feng, I...I admit I was gambling, but I really did it to prove my innocence. My purpose was different from Grand Secretary Yin's. I...I am truly wronged!" Shen Yiguan was in tears. He admitted that he did not really want to die when he jumped into the river.

"You're quite honest!" Feng Bao smiled.

"Judging from the results of the interrogation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there is no problem in identifying you as the mastermind behind the assassination of Shen Yaoshan. You have the motive to hire someone to kill him, and there are no contradictions in Hu De's testimony."

Bang!
Upon hearing this, Shen Yiguan's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, sobbing, "Eunuch Feng, I...I...I...I'm really innocent!"

If he is the mastermind behind it all, he will not only lose his official position, but he is also very likely to lose his life.

At this point, Feng Bao changed the subject.

"However, His Majesty still believes in you because you chose to identify Hu De before the Embroidered Uniform Guard announced the capture of the murderer, and you also wrote a suicide note and drowned yourself!"

Shen Yiguan raised his head, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Shen Yiguan kowtowed repeatedly to the ground.

"However, even if you are not the mastermind, you are still an accomplice in this case. Slandering a cabinet minister in private is not a minor crime!"

Shen Yiguan hung his head, the last glimmer of hope in his heart extinguished once again.

Feng Bao paused for a moment, then said, "However, His Majesty does not intend to severely punish you?"

"what?"

Shen Yiguan was a little confused by Feng Baoru's rollercoaster-like way of speaking.

Feng Bao continued, "After His Majesty assumes personal rule, he will certainly take control of the government, and the court will no longer be solely dependent on the cabinet."

"Once Grand Secretary Zhang and Grand Secretary Yin retire, Your Majesty will certainly give important positions to Grand Secretary Shen, Grand Secretary Shen, and Grand Secretary Wang. However, Your Majesty does not wish them to become powerful ministers who hold the reins of power. Your Majesty hopes that there will be ministers who can check and balance them and that there will be ministers who will obey Your Majesty's every command."

"You have good connections in official circles, and His Majesty thinks highly of you... This time, His Majesty is only punishing you for privately slandering cabinet ministers. Although you have been transferred to a post outside the capital, whether you can return depends on your ability and loyalty to His Majesty!"

"Do you understand?"

Shen Yiguan was stunned at first, then his face lit up with ecstasy.

He never expected that this misfortune would turn into a blessing, as he would be favored by the emperor, who wanted to groom him as one of his own.

After thinking about it carefully, he understood.

When the young Wanli Emperor came to power, he had no choice but to rely heavily on Shen Nian, but he did not want Shen Nian to grow into a powerful minister like Zhang Juzheng.

Therefore, he wanted to cultivate his own people.

As for himself, he was of superior ability and the ability to win people's hearts in the officialdom. In addition, he was at odds with Shen Nian and others, so he was favored by the young Wanli.

The emperor disliked nothing more than a faction of officials, and Shen Yiguan was capable of rallying a faction of officials.

"Your Majesty, I understand! Thank you for your great kindness! Thank you for your great kindness!" Shen Yiguan kowtowed frantically to the ground.

"Good that you understand!" Feng Bao turned and left.

……

An hour later.

Silk merchant Hu De was beaten again by the Imperial Guards, and then, under duress, he confessed that he was the mastermind and that the accusations against Shen Yiguan were purely fabricated.

……

On the third day of the tenth month, in the early morning, the usual morning assembly was held.

All civil and military officials gathered at the Huangji Gate.

After reading through several recent memorials, the official on duty at the Office of Transmission read aloud the results of the interrogations conducted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In short: the three murderers confessed, the mastermind Hu De confessed, and the Hanlin Academy reader Shen Yiguan was actually framed but did indeed have the behavior of slandering the cabinet ministers in private.

The young Wanli Emperor looked around and said loudly, "The matter has been resolved, and it's time to come to an end!"

"The three murderers and the mastermind behind them are certainly guilty of a capital offense. As for the others who are implicated, the three judicial departments will handle it. Then, a notice will be posted so that all the people of Beizhili will know about it."

"As for Shen Yiguan, the Hanlin Academician, although he has not committed any major crimes, he has privately slandered the cabinet ministers of the court, which cannot be let off lightly. I have decided to remove him from his positions as Hanlin Academician and Daily Lecturer, and order him to serve as Director of Studies at the Nanjing Imperial Academy. Do any of you have any objections?"

Before the regular court session began, Feng Bao informed the five Grand Secretaries of the young Wanli Emperor's decision. After the Grand Secretaries had no objections, the young Wanli Emperor read it aloud during the regular court session.

Although both Hanlin Academy Reader and Nanjing Imperial Academy Director of Studies appear to be of the sixth rank, their status and future prospects are vastly different, which is equivalent to demoting Shen Yiguan.

"Your subject has no objection!"

After Zhang Juzheng took the lead in bowing and shouting, all the civil and military officials behind him shouted, "We have no objections!"

The young Wanli Emperor revealed a smile.

"You've all worked hard lately! Some officials may still be somewhat displeased about this matter, so let me explain again!"

After saying this, the young Wanli Emperor paused for a moment and then looked down.

Some officials lowered their heads instinctively, complaining privately that they might have been discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the young Wanli Emperor simply didn't want to punish them.

The young Wanli Emperor continued, "I ordered all the government offices in the capital to make such a show of force not because Shen Yaoshan is Shen Qing's father, but because Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing have made great contributions to the northern commerce and the court, donating real money to the court, and deserve my special treatment."

"If others make similar contributions, I will also treat them with special consideration. I will never let those who have rendered meritorious service to the court feel disheartened!"

Immediately, the courtiers bowed their heads, clasped their hands, and cried out, "Your Majesty is divine!"

Little Wanli nodded with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to signal the eunuch beside him to end the morning court session, he suddenly spoke again: "I have one more thing to say. In the future, if any official jumps into the Jinshui River, regardless of whether he is guilty or not, and whatever his purpose is, he will die. As long as he is rescued and brought ashore, he will first receive fifty strokes of the cane, and then we will discuss why he jumped into the river!"

Having said that, the young Wanli Emperor stood up and walked forward.

"Your Majesty, we obey!" all the officials shouted in unison.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao couldn't help but glance at Yin Zhengmao with a smug look.

In the future, for officials, the path of jumping into the Jinshui River to express their resolve will be completely blocked.

"Dismiss the court!" a young eunuch shouted.

After the young Wanli Emperor had walked away, the cabinet ministers moved first, followed by the heads of the six ministries and military officials and nobles, and then the officials behind them gradually dispersed.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor was extremely pleased with himself.

He felt he was becoming more and more like an emperor, more and more like his grandfather, the Jiajing Emperor.

This time, he not only cultivated a loyal follower in the outer court, making Shen Nian even more grateful to him, but also created the image of a wise ruler who "considers the interests of meritorious officials," achieving three goals at once.

……

In the afternoon, Shen Nian presented a memorial expressing his gratitude to the young Wanli Emperor for the special care he had given to his father.

Although the commotion was quite high-profile, it was enough to ensure that no one would dare to do anything improper to the Shen family again.

Upon seeing the memorial of gratitude, Emperor Wanli immediately added several more guards to the Shen family.

...The next morning, Shen Yiguan left the capital with his family and headed for Nanjing.

This time, no one saw him off.

But he didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He believed that he would soon return to the capital and that he might even be able to take a seat in the cabinet.

……

On the fifth day of the tenth month, everything was normal in the capital's imperial court.

The decrees to reduce redundant officials and positions in both capitals are progressing in an orderly manner, and local governments have also begun to review performance records and formulate more specific implementation plans for the court.

During this period, Shen Nian focused her energy mainly on the cultural classes of the nine hundred elite martial arts guards at the martial arts academy.

The Elite Warriors are appointed every five years, with two years spent studying at the academy and three years spent participating in military practice outside the academy. They are then assigned to their posts based on their abilities.

Now, one year and three months have passed.

Shen Nian's advocacy of "A soldier who doesn't want to become a general is not a good soldier," "The support of the people is the strongest force to protect the Ming Dynasty," and "Be skilled in martial arts and culture, and become a hero of the Ming Dynasty" have become slogans that the elite guards shout every day during their drills.

The elite guards loved Shen Nian's academic classes the most.

They held Shen Nian in high esteem.

In addition, many of Shen Nian's teaching plans were borrowed by Zhang Rong, the Duke of England, and Liang Menglong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and became tools for military officers to boost morale and cultivate soldiers' spirit of loyalty to the country.

……

On the tenth day of the tenth lunar month, the weather was slightly cool.

Outside the Wenhua Hall.

More than twenty military officers (from the Ministry of War, the Five Military Commissions, and the Beijing Garrison) stood in a line outside the hall, and every now and then an officer would walk out looking dejected.

This is the young Wanli Emperor choosing a military instructor for himself.

Since the establishment of the Jingwu Academy, the young Wanli Emperor has become increasingly interested in military affairs and has repeatedly asked Zhang Juzheng to add martial arts lessons for him.

Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to obey.

However, the young Wanli Emperor was only allowed to select one military instructor, and the military lessons were limited to five times a month, in order to prevent him from developing a militaristic and warlike nature and delaying his academic studies.

Little Wanli readily agreed.

These military officers were selected and appointed by Zhang Juzheng half a month ago, when Shen Nian was in Nanjing.

The military officers will choose one article from three military books: "The Art of War," "Six Secret Teachings," and "Three Strategies" as their teaching material.

To ensure that the styles of military and literary classes were kept separate, Zhang Juzheng did not order the daily lecturers to instruct them.

However, the young Wanli Emperor, who had grown accustomed to fine food, looked down on these military officers and was dissatisfied with both the format and content of their lectures.

Among the military officers were several officials who had passed the imperial examinations, but the young Wanli Emperor still disliked them.

In less than an hour, the young Wanli Emperor had eliminated all the military officers who had given the trial lectures.

Knowing that his own skills were mostly superficial, Duke Zhang Rong of England had Liang Menglong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, personally give a trial lecture.

Soon, Liang Menglong also arrived at the Wenhua Hall.

Liang Menglong was a pragmatic official; he spoke for less than fifteen minutes and almost made the young Wanli Emperor fall asleep.

Finally, the young Wanli Emperor allowed him to leave as well.

Upon receiving this news, Shen Nian was overjoyed. After deciding that he wanted to compete for the position of Minister of War, he began to study military strategy.

Although he lacks practical experience, when it comes to lecturing, he's absolutely brilliant, a true master of both literature and martial arts.

He did not volunteer.

He believed that the young Wanli Emperor, having tasted the bitterness of his own kind, would absolutely look down on others.

He waited for the young Wanli Emperor to remember him.

Zhang Juzheng did not recommend Shen Nian because he did not want Shen Nian to be too busy.

Just as the young Wanli Emperor was wondering who to talk to, in the afternoon, when the Prince of Lu came to pay his respects, he said, "Brother Emperor, you should ask Grand Secretary Shen. He is the best at talking about this. He just told me about Qi Jiguang's resistance against the Japanese pirates not long ago!"

"Judging from Shen Qing's lecture notes at the Jingwu Academy, he should also be knowledgeable about military affairs. However... however, after searching for so long, I finally found Shen Qing. Isn't that a slap in the face to those military officers in the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions?"

"Let's fight! Why don't you give a trial lecture to Grand Secretary Shen, so those military officers can hear it and see if they can't compete. What will they have to say then?" Prince Lu said, puffing out his chest, his words filled with admiration for Shen Nian.

“It’s feasible! It’s feasible!” Little Wanli said with a smile.

……

That evening, Shen Nian received an imperial decree from the young Wanli Emperor ordering him to give a trial lecture on martial arts the following day.

He also ordered a group of military officers to listen in, and if Shen Nian was far superior to them, he would appoint Shen Nian as a military lecturer.

Upon receiving this decree, Shen Nian immediately began making serious preparations.

In a real battle, in terms of on-the-spot command, he may not be as good as most of the military officers in the capital garrison, but in terms of military understanding, and understanding of land warfare, naval warfare, and firearms warfare, Shen Nian is definitely better than these people.

Because he had read too many memorials concerning military affairs, and he was good at summarizing and innovating, plus his lecturing skills, he was at least three levels above those military officers.

When it comes to armchair strategist, Shen Nian is absolutely unparalleled.

When the military officers heard Shen Nian give a trial lecture and were allowed to listen in, they couldn't sit still.

"Your Majesty underestimates us. Even if we are not good with words, how can Grand Secretary Shen compare to us in terms of military understanding?"

"Military affairs are our area of ​​expertise. If we are completely outmatched by Grand Secretary Shen, we will all lose face!"

"I think that Grand Secretary Shen is just all show and no substance. He is good at reciting from the book and may speak very well, but when it comes to practical matters and his understanding of specific battles, he will definitely show his incompetence. I have decided that even if His Majesty reprimands me tomorrow, I will still ask him a few questions!"

"Yes! We should debate with Grand Secretary Shen. If he wins, then we military officers who have studied military affairs for more than ten years will be living off our salaries for nothing!"

……

The military officers were quite excited, and some even spread the news that they wanted to debate with Shen Nian before the emperor.

……

Cabinet value.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Yin Zhengmao, who was sitting across from him at the tea table.

“Brother Yangshi, I would actually like to appoint Ziheng as the military instructor. Ziheng knows how to teach systematically, and he knows what should not be said and what must be said. If some military officers were to teach, they would either spout warmongering rhetoric or exaggerate, causing His Majesty to misunderstand the war. However, in terms of military practice, Ziheng may not be as good as them. Why don't you do me the trouble and provide him with some strategies?”

Of the five cabinet ministers, only Yin Zhengmao possessed extensive military combat experience and had made a name for himself.

Yin Zhengmao shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "I don't need to teach him. Except for the Ministry of Personnel, Ziheng can do the jobs in the other five ministries."

"You think he only knows how to compile history and read historical books while he's in the Hanlin Academy? Two years ago, he could recite Qi Jiguang's 'New Book of Military Tactics' backwards. Last year, when we were in Nanjing, I discussed border affairs with him and the ways Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang led troops. What this kid said was at least two levels above mine!"

"Besides, he often goes to the Jingwu Academy to give lectures. If he only gives literature lectures, will those fierce soldiers be able to obey him without question?"

"I think that when it comes to leading troops into battle, I am a typical general. However, he is a commander-in-chief who can command thousands of troops with ease. He just lacks practical experience at the moment. Those military officers who argue with him are just asking for trouble. Tomorrow, let's wait and see the show!"

Yin Zhengmao had full confidence in Shen Nian.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng had no more reservations. He increasingly felt that Shen Nian was a treasure trove, and the more he dug, the more treasures he found.

If one is the chief minister, then naturally the more well-rounded one is, the better.

Zhang Juzheng's all-around ability stemmed from his skill in employing people, while Shen Nian's all-around ability came from his ability to handle many things himself and do them very well.

"Ziheng may have come for the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and to ensure that the people of the world have enough to eat!" Zhang Juzheng murmured.

(End of this chapter)