The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 613 The Pure Stream Disperses

The Ministry of Justice has actually started arresting upright officials in the court!

Early that morning, around 5 a.m., all the yamen runners from the Ministry of Justice went out and made arrests at the various yamens on both sides of the main street.

Those who uphold integrity are generally not to be trifled with, especially those who are stubborn and dare to submit memorials even knowing that it will bring trouble upon themselves.

These guys, when they get angry, they dare to curse even the emperor, and few court officials dare to provoke them.

How dare the yamen runners from the Ministry of Justice come to arrest them!
This isn't just stirring up a hornet's nest; it's practically stirring up a den of mad dogs.

When the other officials saw that they had arrested this group of guys, they were so frightened that they quickly moved aside, afraid that they would be bitten if they stood next to them.

These guys were completely out of their minds, struggling frantically and yelling at the top of their lungs: "What are you doing? You arrest people just for submitting memorials of advice? Is there no law anymore?"

The Ministry of Justice's yamen runners acted as if they had been given a full-blown vaccine, showing no regard for anything else. They grabbed the person and started tying them up, pretending to be confused as they did so, saying, "What do you mean you arrest people just for submitting memorials of advice?"
"We are here on orders to arrest traitors. The Donglin traitors have confessed that you are their accomplices. What are you shouting about?"

This startled Qingliu, who had been arrested.

Are they traitors?
The Donglin Party actually confessed to their crimes!

How could they possibly be traitors?
This is an attempt to frame them!

After they realized what was happening, they screamed even louder.

This caused a cacophony of barking all the way from the main street to the Ministry of Justice, as if a den of mad dogs had been disturbed.

Yuan Keli even specifically chose Pang Shiyong, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War who was the most vocal, to interrogate him.

This guy, even though he's all tied up, is still struggling and shouting, "I'm not a traitor! Don't try to frame me! I just submitted a memorial to the throne to offer advice. What traitor?"

Seeing this, Yuan Keli frowned slightly, then picked up the gavel and slammed it down, saying sternly, "Shut up, Pang Shiyong, this is the Ministry of Justice courtroom."

Upon seeing this, Pang Shiyong angrily cursed, "Yuan Keli, you're such a good dog!"

You dare bark like a dog?
Yuan Keli immediately shouted, "You knowingly committed a crime, didn't you? You dare to roar in court! Guards, give him twenty lashes!"

The constables on both sides didn't care about anything and just grabbed him and beat him up.

Pang Shiyong was still shouting, "Yuan Keli, what right do you have to arrest me? Do you think you can silence the scholars of the world by abusing your power?"

You call yourself a scholar of the world?

No scholar in the world is as stupid as you.

You're just a hothead.

After the beating was finished, Yuan Keli ordered someone to take a confession over.

Pang Shiyong was taken aback when he saw the confession.

Zhang Wenda actually confessed to him!
No, this isn't a rebellion.

He examined the confession closely, then said angrily, "So what if I listened to Zhang Wenda's memorial and advice? What law did that violate?"

Are you still avoiding the main issue?

This charge is actually more serious.

Yuan Keli said coldly, "So many of you have conspired to submit a memorial together, ostensibly to offer advice, but in reality, you are deceiving the emperor."

Also, don't pretend you didn't see it. Later, you listened to Zhang Wenda's rumors and slander, accusing Meng Yanghao of plotting a rebellion.

You think you can just deceive the emperor like that?

Pang Shiyong stubbornly retorted, "Submitting a memorial is deceiving the emperor. Haven't you ever submitted a memorial? Why don't you admit to deceiving the emperor?"

Unreasonable!

Yuan Keli suddenly picked up the gavel and slammed it down, shouting, "Pang Shiyong, confess honestly, did you conspire with Zhang Wenda to rebel?"

what?
You're trying to accuse me of plotting a rebellion!
Pang Shiyong couldn't help but get angry again and said, "Yuan Keli, don't make baseless accusations. What conspiracy to rebel? There's no evidence at all. You're clearly framing me, aren't you?"

What's wrong with me blatantly framing you?
If you dare to shout, I'll hit you!
Let's see how long you can keep up your stubbornness.

Yuan Keli said coldly, "You still dare to roar in the courtroom? Guards, give me another twenty lashes."

The constables from both sides swarmed forward and pinned the guy down, giving him a brutal beating.

Pang Shiyong was indeed a hothead, but he wasn't a brainless hothead.

This finally woke him up a little.

He realized that his reckless outburst in court was just asking for trouble.

They still punished him according to the law.

We mustn't do something so foolish again.

He endured the excruciating pain and asked in a low voice, "Lord Yuan, what exactly do you want? I did not conspire with Zhang Wenda to rebel."

So you're afraid to shout now?
That's all you've got.

Yuan Keli said with a serious face, "This is a courtroom, and I am here to hear a case. What do you mean by 'what do I want to do'?"

You yourself have seen Zhang Wenda's confession; he has admitted that you conspired with him on multiple occasions. This official suspects that you plotted a rebellion. Is there a problem with that?

This seems to be fine.

Pang Shiyong thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and argued, "Lord Yuan, there is no law in the Ming Dynasty that says one must be punished for every doubt, is there?"

You doubt that this is sufficient grounds for conviction; you need concrete evidence to convict someone.

Oh dear, you're even telling me about the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty.

You've fallen into a pit, do you know that?

Yuan Keli continued to dig a hole, asking, "Then can you prove that you didn't conspire with Zhang Wenda to rebel?"

How can this be proven?

Pang Shiyong thought about it carefully again, and continued to lower his voice to argue, "Even if I can't prove it, you can't convict me. There's no such provision in the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

You really have some problems with your brain.

Yuan Keli continued to dig a hole, saying, "I saw Zhang Wenda's confession and suspect that you conspired with him to rebel. Is there a problem?"

Is there a problem with this?

They didn't say he was convicted. Can't we even suspect him? Can he say no?

Pang Shiyong remained silent.

Seeing this, Yuan Keli said bluntly, "You have nothing to say, right? If you have nothing to say, then don't waste my time. I'm busy."

After saying that, he waved his hand and ordered the person recording the confession to take the confession over for this guy to sign and put his fingerprint on.

Upon reading the confession, Pang Shiyong seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter.

Yuan Keli, the Minister of Justice, suspected him of plotting a rebellion.

They did have evidence, namely Zhang Wenda's testimony.

He still couldn't prove that he hadn't conspired with Zhang Wenda to rebel!

What to do now?
He had no choice but to sign the confession.

Immediately afterwards, Yuan Keli began interrogating the next person.

He used the same old trick, relying on the confessions of the Donglin Party members to implicate the Qingliu Party members in a conspiracy to rebel.

These upright officials still haven't been able to prove that they weren't plotting a rebellion when they conspired.

In other words, these upright officials were all implicated in the treason case, and none of them could clear their names of suspicion.

This really terrified them.

There's really nothing they can do about Yuan Keli's actions that have implicated them.

At this point, Wanli also began to intimidate other upright officials.

He summoned Lu Yi directly to the Imperial Study and instructed him in detail: "Order someone to post a notice that Li Sancai and Han Kuang, the remnants of the three powerful clans in Puzhou, are plotting a rebellion. Their entire clan will be executed, and they will be beheaded at the West Market execution ground at around 7:00 AM tomorrow."

This is acting in accordance with the law.

Hearing this, Lu Yi nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand."

Wanli then instructed in detail: "Tomorrow, arrange for more people to guard the main streets around the execution ground in the West Market."

Although it's unlikely that the three powerful clans of Puzhou would attempt to storm the execution ground, we should still be cautious. Send out all the men you can."

There's nothing to do now; he can send out plenty of people, at least several thousand.

Even if the three powerful clans of Puzhou wanted to storm the execution ground, could they possibly gather thousands of people?
This means to make the scene bigger.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Wanli thought for a moment, then raised his hand and waved it.

Lu Yi quickly bowed and took his leave.

Emperor Wanli then ordered someone to summon Luo Sigong.

After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, he asked, "So, what's the reaction of the upright officials in the court who haven't been arrested?"

Luo Sigong said cautiously, "They all seem a little scared, and none of them dare to utter a sound."

It's good that they know fear.

Wanli nodded slightly, then carefully instructed: "You should have someone spread the word that the Donglin faction seems to have confessed that the Qingliu faction often conspired with them."

What are they plotting?
Oh, no need to mention any conspiracy.

This means letting Qingliu figure out what others might think.

Others might suspect them of plotting a rebellion!

Luo Sigong thought for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Wanli thought about it carefully again, and then raised his hand and waved it.

Luo Sigong quickly bowed and took his leave.

Emperor Wanli's three-pronged approach truly terrified the upright officials in the court.

The Donglin Party's plot to rebel seems to have come true.

Li Sancai and Han Kuang were both executed along with their entire families.

These two guys are not only remnants of the three major powerful clans in Puzhou, but also members of the Donglin faction. Li Sancai is even the leader of the Donglin faction in the imperial court.

The Donglin Party members have started confessing, and the upright officials in the court are being arrested one after another.

If they hadn't conspired with the Donglin Party, then that would be fine.

The problem is, they conspired with the Donglin Party to submit memorials of remonstrance, and they also conspired with the Donglin Party to spread rumors and cause trouble.

Anyone with a brain in the Qingliu faction understands that the current emperor wants to take this opportunity to deal with them.

Anyone who still foolishly calls themselves a "pure stream" is courting death. If they get involved in a treason case, they're not only asking for it, but their entire family will be implicated!

In this situation, who would dare to call themselves a paragon of virtue?
They've all started to deny that they're a breath of fresh air.

Sure enough, anyone arrested and interrogated by the Ministry of Justice was released after being given a beating for denying that they were from the "pure stream" (a term referring to the corrupt and upright officials).

As for those who are still unaware of their impending doom, they are all imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail awaiting trial.

From then on, it seemed as if the "pure and upright" faction in the court had disappeared, and no one was foolish enough to call themselves one anymore.

When Wanli Emperor saw that the time was right, he issued an edict to pronounce the verdict.

His meaning was that the Donglin Party's conspiracy to rebel was shrouded in mystery and many different opinions, causing a climate of fear and unease throughout the court.

This couldn't go on, so he decisively removed all those involved from their posts, stripped them of their official status, and exiled them to the frontier.

As expected, no one dared to say anything after his judgment. Some members of the Donglin and Qingliu factions were even glad that they had escaped with their lives.

Of course, it's also possible that these guys are just temporarily holding back due to the situation.

However, it doesn't matter. This Rongbian is not being exiled to the Nine Borders, but to Fangzhang Island, which is tens of thousands of miles away.

Once things are ready over there, he'll pull these guys over there and make sure they never come back.

(End of this chapter)