The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 3 Tyrant
It was not yet the hour of Mao, and a glimmer of dawn had just appeared in the sky, but people in the palace were already in a state of panic.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards, Imperial Guards and eunuchs formed long lines and walked quickly towards the Huangji Palace.

The morning court session was about to begin, and they had to hurry to prepare.

Soon, bells and drums rang above the Meridian Gate, and the left and right side gates opened.

Civil and military officials also lined up in long queues, walked quickly in, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, and walked towards the square in front of the Huangji Palace.

At this time, Wanli also sat on the dragon chariot and came to the Huangji Palace in a grand manner, surrounded by a group of Jinyiwei, imperial guards and eunuchs.

A fierce battle that will determine the life and death of the Ming Dynasty is about to begin.

"Pa pa pa pa", the whip sounded nine times, which told all civil and military officials that the emperor was about to arrive and they should kneel down to welcome him.

All the civil and military officials immediately knelt down and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor!"

Wanli glanced around coldly, then slowly stood up and walked towards the dragon throne on the steps.

At this time, the sky was already turning pale.

The sun is about to rise, but there are still dark clouds in the sky.

This day may be bright or dark.

The rising sun may be obscured by dark clouds, or it may burst forth vigorously.

Historically, the rising sun was obscured by dark clouds.

But that’s not necessarily the case now.

Wanli waved his sleeves and turned to sit on the dragon throne. Then he said majestically: "No need to be polite, stand up."

"Thank you, Lord Long Live."

All the civil and military officials got up from the ground in unison and stood respectfully with their hands hanging down.

These people seemed very respectful, but in fact many of them did not take the young emperor seriously.

Humph, today I will let you see what extreme rebellion is.

Wanli snorted inwardly, then raised his hand slightly towards the ceremonial officer of the Honglu Temple on the steps.

The ceremonial officer of the Honglu Temple immediately said in a loud voice: "If you have anything to report, please report it. If not, please dismiss the court."

The cabinet's chief minister, Zhang Siwei, immediately coughed lightly, quickly stepped out of the train, and came to the edge of the red carpet in the middle. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

This guy was one of the leaders of the civil service group, and the most vicious one. It was this guy who abolished Zhang Juzheng's reforms. It can be said that the Ming Dynasty was destroyed in his hands.

Wanli couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly and looked at the traitor who caused the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

This guy was only about fifty years old, but he had a long black beard. His eyebrows and beard seemed to have been carefully trimmed. He looked quite smart and capable, but his eyes were faintly triangular, like a poisonous snake. His lips and eyes were a little cold, giving people a sense of viciousness.

Perhaps, appearance reflects the heart. He knew that this guy was vicious, so he looked vicious no matter how he looked at him.

Zhang Siwei pretended to be benevolent and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Palace has not been repaired for over ten years. I believe that the Ministry of Revenue should allocate funds for its renovation."

This means that I have a different opinion from Zhang Juzheng.

The taxes collected by Zhang Juzheng are all stored in the national treasury. If I don’t give them to you, I will give them to you as soon as I come to power.

Unfortunately, the rebellious teenager won’t be fooled.

You used my money to deceive me, to flatter Zhang Juzheng, and to lay the groundwork for abolishing the reform?
Upon hearing this, Wanli pretended to be pleased and nodded, saying, "Well, it's time to renovate the palace."

Zhang Siwei pretended to be concerned and said, "Your Majesty, the palace hasn't selected concubines for several years. I think we should select three hundred concubines to serve Your Majesty."

This means that Zhang Juzheng doesn't let you do anything and doesn't even let you choose more concubines. I'll choose for you. See how good I am to you.

The rebellious teenager was not fooled.

Do you want me to be like my father, indulging in wine and women and not taking care of state affairs?

Upon hearing this, Wanli pretended to be surprised and said, "It's time for the palace to select concubines. Choose quickly."

Seeing this, Zhang Siwei couldn't help but feel secretly proud. He was quite experienced in dealing with this rebellious young emperor. All six of his sons had been rebellious before.

He was really different from Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng believed that strict teachers produce excellent students, but he knew that rebellious teenagers needed to be coaxed. Everything would be easy if they were coaxed. If he used force, it would be counterproductive.

Immediately afterwards, he took the opportunity to request the promotion of Zheng Guoshi, the prefect of Gongchang, Shaanxi, to the deputy envoy of Henan, and the transfer of Xu Guo, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, to fill the vacancy of the left vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Wanli agreed without even thinking about it.

None of this matters, he can just pretend to be confused.

He is now a wolf in sheep's clothing. He wants others to think that he is still the ignorant and rebellious teenager. Only at the critical moment will he show his fangs, bite, and then put on the sheepskin and continue to pretend to be the ignorant and rebellious teenager!
After that, he pretended to be ignorant and approved all requests from important officials of the third rank and above without even thinking about it.

Finally, the important officials of the court above the third rank finished their reports.

The highlight comes next.

Lei Shizhen, the Imperial Censor of Zhejiang Province, coughed lightly without hesitation, quickly stepped out of the Inspectorate's train, and leaned on the edge of the red carpet in the middle, saying respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have something to report.

Grand Secretary Pan Sheng has been tarnished by the Qing Dynasty for a long time. He is not known for his upright character. He has abandoned all his extraordinary abilities and integrity, and is only good at sweet talk and flattery.

When he first served as the Minister of Rites, his deeds were notorious and the previous emperor often rebuked him. When he came to power again, he was universally disliked by the public.

If I give him the position of foresight and the responsibility of discussion and thinking one day, I am afraid that those who are greedy for fame and advancement will take advantage of it.

I, your humble servant, dare to ask Your Majesty to revoke your order and dismiss Pan Sheng from his post, so as to demonstrate a peaceful and bright governance."

Officials below the third rank had to kneel down and submit memorials.

However, his memorial had already been submitted.

What he meant was why Wanli kept his memorial and did not send it out.

How dare you, a trial censor, ask me why I didn't dismiss a cabinet minister?

Who gave you the courage?

Wanli continued to play dumb and said, "Did the emperor scold Grand Secretary Pan Sheng? How come I didn't know?"

It doesn’t matter whether you know it or not. What matters is that Pan Sheng be dismissed immediately.

Lei Shizhen insisted, "Your Majesty, the late emperor often criticized Pan Sheng for his lack of integrity and shamelessness. He is unfit for the position."

Wanli pretended to hesitate and said, "I really don't know about this. Pan Sheng was recommended by my mentor. I can't dismiss him just because of your unfounded accusations."

Upon hearing this, Lei Shizhen was dumbfounded. The young emperor clearly did not want to dismiss Pan Sheng. What should he do?
He was stunned for a moment, then secretly glanced at the chief minister Zhang Siwei.

Zhang Siwei narrowed his eyes slightly, and a vicious look flashed in his eyes.

Why hesitate at this time? If you hesitate any longer, Pan Sheng will return to the court.

How to purge Zhang Juzheng's old party in the court and how to control the power of the court?

Come on, bite Zhang Juzheng too!

Seeing this, Lei Shizhen gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Juzheng has deceived Your Majesty at such a young age, stealing power and wealth to rob the hearts of the people and destroy the lifeblood of the country. He did not follow the rules after his own death and flattered Pu Zhongliang. He ranked the scholars among the Qinghua scholars but suppressed the upright. He has recruited friends and formed cliques, and most of them are traitors. Your Majesty, Pan Sheng, this traitor, cannot be used."

I knew that if I didn't remove Pan Sheng, you would blame Zhang Juzheng.

If you criticize Zhang Juzheng, I will have an excuse to get mad. Wanli pretended to frown and asked, "Why are you scolding my teacher?"

If I don't criticize Zhang Juzheng for appointing treacherous people, you won't dismiss Pan Sheng from his post.

Lei Shizhen said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Juzheng's failure to return home to observe mourning for his father's death is unfilial. He was forced to return and violated the prohibition by riding in a sedan chair carried by 32 men. This is a clear deception of the emperor and a betrayal of his loyalty. For such a disloyal and unfilial person, I believe he should be stripped of all his official rank, his imperial seals bestowed upon him during his lifetime confiscated, his property confiscated, and his sons exiled."

These thirty-two people carrying the sedan chair seemed to be irrefutable evidence that Zhang Juzheng had deceived the emperor.

In fact, this sedan chair with 32 bearers was not made by Zhang Juzheng's order, but was given to him by Qian Pu, the prefect of Zhending, on the way.

Zhang Siwei was a disciple of Gao Gong, and Qian Pu was also a disciple of Gao Gong.

They joined forces to dig a pit to bury Zhang Juzheng.

It takes time for thirty-two people to carry the sedan chair, and Qian Pu must have been preparing for it a long time ago.

They forced Zhang Juzheng to go home to attend the funeral, and then dug a huge pit for Zhang Juzheng on the way!
These guys are really vicious.

Wanli pretended to be displeased and said, "It was my will that my dear teacher took away my love. The sedan chair with 32 bearers was sent by Qian Pu, the prefect of Zhending. Do you think I don't know?

You should know how long it takes to build a sedan chair with 32 people bearer. Qian Pu is so deliberate in framing his mentor. Instead of impeaching Qian Pu, you impeach his mentor?
What happened to my teacher? During the ten years of my teacher's reform, the national treasury had seven or eight million taels of silver, and the grain stored in Taicang Warehouse was enough to last for ten years. Has the national treasury ever been so full in all dynasties?
Who can compare with such achievements?
My dear teacher is definitely a famous minister who will be remembered for generations to come. Yet you actually want me to strip him of all his official rank, seize the imperial seals bestowed upon him during his lifetime, confiscate all his property, and exile all his sons.

Do you want me to be infamous forever?
How much hatred do I have for my mentor? My mentor was just a little strict in teaching. What's wrong with that? Can this be called hatred?

Haven’t you read "Three Character Classic"? If the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher’s laziness.

Books say that only strict teachers can produce outstanding students. Haven’t you ever been to school? Aren’t your mentors strict in teaching?

Who taught you to take revenge if your teacher teaches you harshly?

Go seek revenge on your mentor and see if you will be cursed by the whole world!"

Lei Shizhen was dumbfounded again. Just now, he saw that the young Wanli was a fool and thought that this young emperor was easy to bully.

Who knew that the little emperor would suddenly become so smart.

He was stunned for a moment, then secretly glanced at the chief minister Zhang Siwei.

You useless thing.

Zhang Siwei snorted inwardly, then looked at the Inspectorate train with a gloomy face.

Imperial Censor Wei Yunzhen coughed lightly, quickly stepped out of the procession, and leaned over the edge of the red carpet, shouting, "Your Majesty, Zhang Juzheng has seized control of state power and deceived the emperor. He deserves death. Your Majesty, please strip him of all his official rank, seize the imperial seals bestowed upon him during his lifetime, confiscate all his property, and exile his sons."

Censor Wang Guo, Imperial Censor Zhang Dingsi, Wang Jiguang, Sun Wei, and others hurried out of the train and leaned on the edge of the red carpet, shouting, "I second the motion. Your Majesty, please severely punish Zhang Juzheng."

It’s begun. You won’t give up until you achieve your goal, right?
You think I don't know that your goal is to abolish the reform so that you can continue to annex land, right?
If I don't listen to you, you will never let me go.

You just want to force me to destroy my own Ming Dynasty with my own hands, right?
A few petty seventh-rank officials dared to deceive the emperor like this. You are really outrageous.

A surge of anger suddenly emerged in Wanli's mind, and he was uncontrollable.

You want to see how rebellious I am, right?
I'm rebelling for you to see!
This time, he didn't contain his anger.

He roared, "Haven't you read the Four Books and Five Classics? What is the Analects? Did Confucius and his disciples teach you to betray your teachers and ancestors?"

The seven censors and the imperial secretaries were stunned when they heard this.

Of course they have all read the Four Books and Five Classics. It would be impossible to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi without reading the Four Books and Five Classics.

Of course they know what "The Analects of Confucius" is. It is a book that records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples.

What Confucius and his disciples taught them was not to betray their teachers and ancestors, but to respect their teachers.

When Confucius and his disciples were brought up, they dared not make excuses even if they were eloquent.

If they quibble, they are denying everything they have learned.

Wanli continued to roar, "Confucius and his disciples taught you to respect your teachers, yet you force me to betray my teachers and ancestors. What is your intention? You want me to be despised by the world, right?"

This is exactly what we thought.

The seven censors were caught in a weak spot and were suppressed by Confucius and his disciples, so they dared not say a word.

Wanli continued to roar: "Are you the emperor or am I the emperor?

I didn't say that my mentor deceived the emperor, but you said that my mentor deceived the emperor. Does that mean that my mentor has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor?
Are you forcing me to betray my teacher and ancestors based on this trumped-up charge?

You guys are turning the world upside down.

You are the real ones who deceive the emperor!
Come, drag these traitors who are deceiving the emperor out of the Meridian Gate and behead them in public!"

what?
You're going to chop them all down!

When Feng Bao heard this, there was a hint of shock in his eyes.

How to do?
If these people are not killed, there will be no end to it.

If young Wanli cannot control these civil servants, he will die!
He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and waved to the imperial guards on both sides.

The imperial guards on both sides immediately swarmed forward and dragged the seven censors out of the Meridian Gate.

This!
His sudden roar stunned all the civil and military officials.

If he was young and naive, talking nonsense and losing his temper, someone would definitely jump out to stop him.

The problem is that he brought up Confucius and his disciples. There is nothing wrong with respecting teachers, but these censors were indeed forcing him to betray his teacher and ancestors.

More importantly, he was clearly ill.

The civil and military officials naturally knew what it was like for a teenager of this age to become rebellious.

Once the little guy gets angry, he won't care about the consequences. Anyone who tries to persuade him may be dragged out and chopped!

"Your Majesty, spare my life. We are not forcing you to betray your master and ancestors."

"It is not a crime for a censor to speak out against something he has heard. Please try to persuade His Majesty."

"Your Majesty will become a tyrant if he continues like this. Why don't you try to stop him?"

This being dragged out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded in public is no joke. Once they are dragged outside the Meridian Gate and a single cut of the sword is enough, that's it.

The seven censors were so frightened that they started howling.

The problem was that Wanli's furious look was really scary, and no one dared to risk their life to offend this rebellious teenager.

After the beheading at the Meridian Gate, the next step was to display it to the public. A team of imperial guards filed in and circled around all the civil and military officials.

Seeing this, Wanli said coldly: "If anyone dares to force me to betray my teacher and ancestors again, this will be an example to me."

All civil and military officials were silent.

Are they really convinced?

Of course it’s not that simple. Killing a few minions won’t be enough to control these civil servants.

At this time, Zhang Siwei's eyes narrowed into slits.

His eyes, invisible to outsiders, swept towards Wanli and Feng Bao like a poisonous snake.

(End of this chapter)