Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 187: Rehabilitation and the Caning

On the 21st day of the 12th lunar month, the 48th year of the Wanli reign, at 2:30 am, the hour of Mao.

A regular court meeting was being held in the Qianqing Gate Hall of the Forbidden City. Because the reform was completed, this court meeting was also the last during the Wanli reign.

"Long live our emperor! Long live him! Long, long live him!" Civil and military officials stood on both sides, kowtowed in unison, and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

According to common practice, the emperor should have asked all officials to stand up at this time, but Zhu Changluo did not do so. Instead, he ordered Wang An beside him: "Announce the decree."

"As you wish." Wang An turned and walked towards Wei Chao, who was also standing beside the dragon throne, and picked up the scroll on the far left from the tray in his hand.

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees this." Wang An took a step forward, spread out the imperial edict, took a deep breath, and said in the loudest voice he could:

"In recent years, the customs of scholars have become corrupt, and official positions have been vacant. They exploit loopholes and cleverly serve as intermediaries for gaining power; they incite their friends and use tactics to squeeze out officials. They denigrate the experienced and retiring as useless, while they label the cunning and cunning as talented. Love and hate run rampant, and gratitude and resentment are intertwined, thus turning the power and wealth of the court into a mere reward for the ministers."

"When I first ascended the throne, I deeply understood the source of the problem and was eager to eradicate it. However, I was concerned that since I had just begun to rule, my sharp shovel might reach the orchids, and my tight nets might frighten the phoenixes. I have gone too far, and I have only given them a light warning and punishment. I have been gracious and tolerant, and will allow them to start anew."

"Doesn't the Book of Documents say: 'Without partiality or partisanship, the kingly way is vast; without partisanship or bias, the kingly way is level and even.'"

"From now on, be pure in heart and diligent in your duties. Do not harbor selfish ambitions to deceive your superiors, do not cling to official positions to cultivate connections, do not flatter others to curry favor with them, and do not spread false rumors to disrupt government."

"Those who serve as advisors should be respectful and harmonious; those who are in charge of selection and evaluation should be open-minded and discerning; those who hold official positions, whether internal or external, should have their own plans and thoughts; those who have the responsibility of speaking out should be impartial and speak out frankly."

"If the ministers have the integrity to serve the court, and the junior officials have the integrity to retreat from their duties, then the court will be clean and governed with integrity, and the times will be peaceful and prosperous. You will also all have your achievements recorded in history, and your descendants will benefit from your wealth. Isn't that wonderful?"

"If you indulge in old ways, cling to your old ways, and are determined to disobey the imperial court and violate the laws, then the constitution of our ancestors is very strict, and I dare not pardon you."

After the reading, Wang An put the scroll away and put it back on the tray.

The fact that he could not afford to pay his respects was shocking in itself. When Wang An finished reading this eloquent and commanding edict, the officials became even more alarmed. For a moment, no one spoke to acknowledge his decree.

After a long while, Ye Xianggao, the cabinet vice-chairman who was kneeling at the head of the line, finally reacted and took the lead in kowtow, saying, "Your Majesty, we respectfully accept your edict!"

"We respectfully accept the imperial edict!" All the officials were awakened by this voice and kowtowed one after another, the sound like a tide.

"Everyone, please stand up." After the tide receded and the waves subsided, the heavenly voice, ordering everyone to stand up, came from afar.

"Long live thanks."

After all the officials stood up, Emperor Zhu Changluo spoke again, "Has anyone heard of this imperial edict before?"

The emperor's question made all civil and military officials deeply confused. Isn't this a newly issued imperial edict?
However, Cheng Liangbi, the Marquis of Taining, who inherited the title in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign and served in the Jiajing, Longqing, Wanli and Taichang dynasties and is currently in charge of the Beijing camp, had a different reaction.

After swallowing his saliva, Cheng Liangbi raised his head slightly and looked at the emperor sitting high on the Xumi Dragon Throne. At this moment, he found that the emperor's hesitant gaze was also resting on him.

Cheng Liangbi didn't dare to look at him and quickly lowered his head. But the emperor still called him: "Cheng Liangbi, Zhou Jiamo!"

"The minister is here."

"I'm here." Cheng Liangbi and Zhou Jiamo stepped out one after another.

"Tell them when this imperial edict was issued?" Zhu Changluo ordered.

"July 16, the sixth year of the Longqing reign." Zhou Jiamo would never forget that day.

Zhou Jiamo was the only surviving Jinshi (a scholar) from the Longqing reign who passed the imperial examination in the Taichang Emperor's court. He passed the imperial examination in the fifth year of the Longqing reign, but his results were not particularly good, and he was not subsequently selected as a Shujishi (a scholar-official), but was directly appointed to the position of Director of the Ministry of Revenue.

Logically speaking, a mere sixth-rank official had no right to hear this imperial edict in person during the court session in the sixth year of the Longqing reign. However, this edict was not issued in the Council Hall within the Forbidden City, but was read out outside the Meridian Gate.

On July 16, the sixth year of the Longqing reign, less than two months after Emperor Muzong's death and just over a month after Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne, Shenzong summoned thousands of civil and military officials from various government offices in Beijing to the Meridian Gate. With the utmost solemnity, he solemnly proclaimed this imperial edict, unprecedented in nearly two hundred years since the Hongwu reign.

But everyone knows that this magnificent article, which foreshadows a revolution, could not have been written by the ten-year-old emperor who ascended the throne at such a young age.

"Forty-eight years." The emperor's calmness was eerie. "Cheng Liangbi, do you think that four decades have passed, the government has been clean and the times have been peaceful?"

Cheng Liangbi did not dare to answer this question at all. Because answering "yes" would be deceiving the emperor, and answering "no" would be slandering the emperor.

Zhu Changluo, however, was considerate enough not to force him to choose between two options. Instead, he simply said, "I don't think so." He paused, raising his voice half a degree. "I've only been on the throne for a short time, and before I changed the reign title, I've already seen factionalism and collusion to force the emperor to abdicate! Such a small reform was exploited by those with ulterior motives, ultimately causing unrest throughout Beijing. Xu Guangqi." Zhu Changluo called out another person.

"I'm here." Xu Guangqi left his position as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and walked to Zhou Jiamo.

"What do you think is the reason?" Zhu Changluo asked.

This public response had not been discussed beforehand, but the answer the emperor wanted was not difficult to guess. Xu Guangqi hesitated for a moment, coughed twice to clear his throat, and said, "Because the achievements of the Longqing and Wanli reforms did not last long."

"Yes, but not entirely." Zhu Changluo was not satisfied with the answer. "Wang An, announce an edict."

"Yes." Wang An heard this and picked up the second imperial edict from the tray held by Wei Chao: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees this."

"Zhang Juzheng's contributions to the country are unparalleled, and none surpass his own personal achievements. Therefore, he is considered a minister who rectified the country. Effective immediately, Zhang Juzheng's titles of Grand Tutor to the State, Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Central Palace are restored, and his posthumous title of Wen Zhong is restored. His sons Zhang Sixiu, Zhang Maoxiu, Zhang Jianxiu, Zhang Yunxiu, and Zhang Jingxiu are recalled to duty. His eldest son, Zhang Jingxiu, who committed suicide under false pretenses, is posthumously awarded the title of Minister of Rites."

The final court session of the successor Emperor Taichang during the Wanli reign was a revelation to the world, overturning the previous Emperor Wanli's judgment and reckoning against the reformist Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng. This was more than just a redress. Gaining and then losing is the most painful thing. Therefore, as soon as the edict was read, Zhou Jiamo, who had fully experienced the "Jiangling administration" and "Shenzong's lazy rule," immediately prostrated himself and cried out, "Your Majesty is wise!" Then, all the officials, whether genuine or fake, joined in the praise.

This time, the emperor did not speak again, but stood up and left the table in silence, taking Wang An and the two princes with him and leaving the Qianqing Gate Hall.

All the officials were at a loss and raised their heads to look at Wei Zhongxian who was still in the hall.

"Director Wei, is there any other decree?" Xu Guangqi asked knowingly.

"Yes, but it won't be announced here." Wei Zhongxian nodded, looked around at the officials and said, "Everyone, follow me to the Meridian Gate Tower to watch the execution."

------

The practice of caning officials in the imperial court was a form of punishment. Its greatest significance lay in its breaking the dogma that "officials were not subject to punishment." Before the Ming Dynasty, and even after the first caning in the imperial court after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, these canings were merely impromptu acts of anger on the part of the emperor.

In December of the eighth year of the Hongwu reign, Ru Taisu submitted a memorial to the emperor, but the memorial was too long for Zhu Yuanzhang to read. He asked Wang Min, a secretary, to read it to him. After reading over 16,000 words, he still couldn't make sense of what he was saying. Furious, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his men to beat Ru Taisu. To prevent this kind of problem from happening again, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Secretariat to formally establish a format for memorials, eliminating lengthy and meaningless documents.

For a long time after the Hongwu Emperor's imperial caning, there were no further cases of the emperor ordering the caning of ministers. It was not until the restoration of Emperor Yingzong and the abolition of the six ministries that Zhu Qizhen carried out a large-scale purge of the old ministers of Emperor Jingdi that imperial caning was gradually institutionalized and became a common means for the emperor to punish court officials.

The so-called institutionalization means that there are corresponding rules for approval, execution, supervision, and even the form of the caning. The captain of the Jinyiwei was responsible for carrying out the execution, and the eunuchs of the Silijian were responsible for supervising the execution. Before the execution, the execution required the signature of the Criminal Department's Jieshizhong.

Large-scale canings occurred during the reigns of Chenghua, Zhengde, Jiajing, and Wanli. However, this was the first time a new emperor had carried out such a large-scale caning before changing the reign title.

The tray containing the imperial edict and the two edicts that had been read were taken away by Wang An, so the last one was handed over by Wei Chao to Wei Zhongxian, who was responsible for reading it.

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees this." Wei Zhongxian was a little excited, and his voice trembled a little.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have had countless thoughts, but they all boil down to one thing: to reform the old system, rectify current ills, and revive the declining order." The first half of this edict was the same one Cui Wensheng had read out at the Qianqing Gate. Zhu Changluo specifically ordered that not a single word be changed, except for the addition of Li Ruhua's words of comfort to the censors in Wenhua Hall.

"My painstaking efforts, but your failure to investigate, have led to your instigation by Zhao and Zou, who have recklessly launched an act of inciting chaos in the imperial court." To fulfill his promise to Xu Guangqi and Sun Ruyou, Zhu Changluo, while removing Sun Ruyou from the list of principal offenders, did not label Zou and Zhao as traitors or rebels in his edict. Nor did he define the censors' actions as forcing the emperor to abdicate, but rather as "inciting chaos in the imperial court." Otherwise, the subsequent sentence would have been far too lenient.

"..I am mindful of the precarious state of affairs, the difficulty of revitalizing the political system, and the scarcity of talented individuals. I have granted the request of twelve cabinet ministers, including Xu Guangqi, Ye Xianggao, Shi Jixie, and Shen, to grant special clemency and spare Zhao Qingheng's death sentence. As for you, the vehement censor, I will only punish you with a slight caning and a salary deduction as a warning. I hope that from now on, you will be honest and conscientious in your duties, and do not make mistakes that harm yourselves and the country."

"I decree this!" After reading it, Wei Zhongxian handed the imperial edict back to Wei Chao, then took a deep breath and shouted, "Execute!"

"Yes, sir!" At the Meridian Gate, hundreds of Jinyiwei who had already taken up their positions responded in unison.

In order to ensure that the beating would achieve the desired effect as the emperor desired, Luo Sigong dispatched hundreds of captains skilled in spanking from various government offices, and also transferred an entire Zhongqian Households Office to hold down the limbs of the punished officials and maintain order.

"Hold it in your mouth." The captain handed a piece of dirty coarse cloth to the mouth of Zuo Guangdou, the censor of the Censorate, who was lying in a straight line on a long wooden chair.

"." Zuo Guangdou instinctively repelled the peculiar smell emanating from the coarse cloth.

"Hold on. This is for your own good." The captain gestured to another captain. "If you don't want to hold it, we'll have to remove your jaw first and put it back in after the beating."

"." Zuo Guangdou had no choice but to hold the dirty and smelly piece of cloth in his mouth.

After making sure that all the officials being punished had something in their mouths, Wang Chengen, the supervising officer facing the captains, slowly raised his right hand.

Everyone knew the rules of caning in the imperial court, so the officials closest to Wang Cheng'en all stared intently at the child's toes. But surprisingly, Wang Cheng'en did not open or close his toes to indicate a "hard hit" or "hearted hit."

He just waved his hand slightly and turned his back, as if he couldn't bear to look any longer.

But in reality, the Jinyiwei had long been under strict orders: no matter how many strokes were imposed, the ultimate effect on the buttocks had to be the same. That is, the beatings had to be painful, but not crippling or even fatal. If an official died within five days of the punishment, the captain who carried out the execution would be secretly punished within the Jinyiwei.

Benedict! Benedict! Benedict!
The canes rose and fell in unison, creating a cacophony of sounds like drums. The cacophony of drums blended with the uneven, muffled cries, colliding and reverberating in the concave corner of the Forbidden City's Meridian Gate, slowly rising.

The high-ranking officials who were watching the execution from the city wall, and the lower-ranking officials who were watching the execution from both sides of the execution ground, felt the same sadness, as if what they were breathing into their lungs was not air, but ice crystals.

Just as Zhou Jiamo remembered July 16, the sixth year of the Longqing reign, the officials watching the execution today will never forget December 21, the forty-eighth year of the Wanli reign.

------

When Luo Sigong was standing on the tower of the Meridian Gate and watching the Jinyiwei beating officials with sticks in the court with mixed emotions, his eldest son Luo Yangxing also went to the East Office with the promotion order issued by the Commandery.

"Mr. Luo, how are you?" As soon as Luo Yangxing entered the main hall, Hai Zhentao stood up and took the initiative to greet him.

"Greetings, Mr. Hai." Luo Yangxing clasped his hands and bowed.

"Mr. Luo, please take a seat." Hai Zhentao waved his hand and told the yamen runner to serve tea.

After they sat down, Luo Yangxing was the first to speak: "Congratulations to the East Office for defeating the North Pacification Office and taking first place in the Donglin Party case."

Hai Zhentao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Haha. No matter which government office killed the general and seized the flag, isn't it all because of the good command of the Chief Guard? And I remember that this credit was given by Luo Jingli himself." There was some noticeable anger in Hai Zhentao's compliment.

Luo Yangxing had barely gotten comfortable in his seat when he stood up again. He took two steps to Hai Zhentao, bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle, and apologized, "Hai Chenshi, I must apologize to you for this. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle this properly, so I sent the convicted official, Sun Ruyou, to you. Please forgive me, Hai Chenshi."

"Hahahaha! Mr. Luo, come sit down!" Hai Zhentao admired Luo Yangxing's honesty, even if it was after the fact. In any case, this attitude was much better than being stubborn and "repaying a favor" with pretense.

(End of this chapter)