There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 464 The Unyielding Duke Yansheng, a Hereditary Cultivator's Surrender Petition to Encourage Loyalty

The Duke of Yansheng's mansion held a public trial and executed hundreds of people, and the entire Northern Kong clan was almost wiped out.

Although it was the demoted county magistrate Zhang Tigan who carried out the deed, Nie Yu, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, would certainly not have a good reputation among scholars in the future.

These were descendants of Confucius, yet the emperor ordered their execution without hesitation, even personally traveling to Qufu County. Clearly, this was to deal with and define the Qufu Confucius family before the civil officials could offer any advice.

Nie Yu didn't care at all about the slight infamy, especially the infamy of a scholar.

In any case, scholars are spineless and dare not openly criticize the emperor; at most, they grumble in private. But what Nie Yu is doing now is something that scholars complain about all the time.

As the saying goes, having too many lice makes you feel less itchy.

After personally issuing an imperial edict to determine the nature of the case and uproot the Confucius family in Qufu, Nie Yu then sent a letter to Nanjing detailing the public trial in Qufu.

The details of these public trials would be written into the official gazette by the Nanjing Ministry of Posts and Communications, and then disseminated throughout the country.

Since they've already killed them, it's only natural to let the world see just how filthy and corrupt this seemingly grand Duke Yansheng's mansion truly is.

At the end, Nie Yu even personally wrote a poem:
"A traitor to twenty-six dynasties, a slave to seventy-six generations."

The Duke Yansheng, a man of unyielding integrity, was a man whose family had submitted memorials of surrender to persuade people to be loyal.

Those who understand the times are heroes, and their legacy endures for millennia.

It truly is a case of ruler and subject, father and son.

It's called a poem, but it's more like a satirical ditty.

In particular, the phrase "surrendering to the world" was used to nail the Northern Confucian school to the pillar of historical shame as soon as it was proclaimed.

……

Nanjing, Cabinet.

The cabinet ministers were all in a very difficult position when they received the emperor's decree and the four lines of poetry written by the emperor at the end.

Gu Jing, as the Minister of Rites, frowned and said, "Your Majesty is too impulsive. Even if the Duke Yansheng has a thousand faults, he is still a descendant of the sage. How can he be killed so easily? Even if he is killed, it should not be done in such a high-profile manner. Isn't this just giving the scholars of the world something to talk about?"

Lü Zhihong laughed and said, "That's not quite right. His Majesty is taking advantage of the opportunity of personally leading the expedition to Qufu County to punish Bei Kong. This is a rare and excellent opportunity. If we don't kill Bei Kong now, how much resistance will we face if we wait until later?"

“That’s right,” Wang Ruoyu nodded in agreement. “Moreover, to be honest, the Northern Kong family is no longer the Duke of Yansheng. His Majesty just conferred the title of Duke of Yansheng upon the Southern branch, so the Northern branch has long lost its title of Duke of Yansheng. Killing them is no big deal. I once read some miscellaneous books that mentioned that the Northern branch of Qufu had already intermarried with the Mongols during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. It’s hard to say whether they are still of Han blood.”

That's pure nonsense, of course. Although the Qufu Northern School is a bit weak-willed, there's still no major problem with its bloodline.

Intermarriage with the Mongols was a political alliance between a branch of the Northern Kong family and a Mongol princess, aimed at strengthening cooperation. However, this did not prevent the Han Dynasty from making some moves from it.

Wang Ruoyu's words were clearly a reminder to everyone that as long as the article provides ambiguous and dubious embellishments, it will portray Bei Kong as having Mongolian ethnicity.

Therefore, compared to killing a person from another ethnic group who adopted a false surname, killing a Duke Yansheng of the Northern Confucian Academy clearly has a lesser impact and can provide those scholars with a sufficient excuse for self-comfort.

The emperor could, in a fit of rage, execute the corrupt and wicked Northern Kong clan, but the subsequent cleanup of the mess would then fall to the ministers.

Wang Ruoyu's specific reminder provided direction for the cabinet.

After some further discussion, Huang Chengzhi, the Minister of Posts and Communications, asked at the end, "Should His Majesty's poem be added? Or should it be slightly revised before being added?"

"..."

Everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

The emperor's poem was far too blunt and disrespectful; if it had been published in the official gazette, it would have caused an uproar among scholars.

After a long silence, Grand Secretary Liu Jun made the final decision: "Since it is His Majesty's decree, we, as his subjects, should obey it. The four lines of poetry shall be published in the official gazette without any changes, and in large, eye-catching characters."

Gu Jing asked with concern, "What if the scholars of the world are dissatisfied?"

Liu Jun retorted, “What kind of 'scholarly community' is this? We are all His Majesty’s subjects, officials of the Han Dynasty. We can offer advice to His Majesty, but we cannot blindly advise him, or even openly defy His Majesty for the sake of this so-called 'scholarly community.' That would be putting the cart before the horse! Moreover, what is wrong with the four lines His Majesty inscribed? If the Duke of Yansheng’s family were truly upright and could serve as a model for us, then we would risk our official positions to argue with His Majesty. But the Duke of Yansheng’s family is so despicable now, and we are expected to cover up their filth. Wouldn’t that be disregarding the classics and bringing shame upon the sages?”

Hearing this, Gu Jing was finally convinced: "What the Grand Secretary said is very true. The Duke of Yansheng's mansion is already a den of iniquity and should not be covered up. The publication of His Majesty's four lines in the official gazette can also serve as a warning to the Southern Sect, so as to prevent them from becoming arrogant, extravagant and dissolute and following in his footsteps!" At present, the emperor and his officials of the Great Han Dynasty are generally very young, full of vigor and high spirits, and at the time when their sense of justice is strongest.

Furthermore, the emperor and his ministers of the Han Dynasty were very typical founding emperors and ministers.

The emperor is a benevolent and wise ruler who cares for his people, and his ministers should naturally be virtuous and capable ministers who cater to the emperor.

To become a wise and capable minister, one is destined to be at odds with the local gentry.

This was a fundamental difference in interests; the emperor and the gentry were on opposing sides.

The essence of feudal dynasties was actually a game of chess between the emperor, the gentry, and local officials! (This is too profound to elaborate on.)
The Nanjing Postal and Communications Department was very efficient, almost working overtime, and wrote all the details of the public trial of Confucius in Qufu into the latest issue of the official gazette.

From the initial proofing to printing and full publication, the entire process of the official gazette took less than a month.

The effect was quite remarkable; within just two days of the publication of the official gazette, public opinion in Nanjing was in an uproar.

This matter is truly enormous. The Duke of Yansheng of Qufu was executed, and a public trial revealed that the Duke of Yansheng's family had committed numerous evils, reaching a point where they were too numerous to recount.

In the streets and alleys of Nanjing, not only scholars but also ordinary people would chat about this major event that happened in Shandong during their leisure time.

"His Majesty actually executed the Duke Yansheng! This is truly... utterly disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!"

"Who says otherwise! That is the Duke Yansheng, a descendant of the sage. Even if he has committed a great crime, how can His Majesty kill him arbitrarily?"

"Your Majesty is confused! Your Majesty is confused!"

"Heh heh, what do you mean His Majesty is confused? I think His Majesty is very wise. I've long heard that the Duke Yansheng's mansion in Qufu is a filthy place, and now it seems that it truly lives up to its reputation. His Majesty did a good job this time, it's very gratifying!"

“How can you say such a thing, sir? The Duke Yansheng is a descendant of the sage. Regardless of whether it was the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, even if the Duke Yansheng is guilty, he should be stripped of his title and ordered to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion. Killing him is far too much! Far too much!”

"Passed? Didn't you all see the four lines of poetry His Majesty inscribed? 'The Duke Yansheng, of unyielding integrity, whose family has been writing surrender documents to urge loyalty.' Does such a Duke Yansheng deserve to be called a descendant of a sage?"

"The change of dynasties is the will of Heaven, and cannot be reversed by human power. The Duke Yansheng's actions were also... out of helplessness, to reduce the bloodshed of the people."

"Hahaha, 'Stop killing,' well said! If we follow your logic, then shouldn't our Emperor of Han have never raised an army in the first place? That would be creating bloodshed, defying the will of Heaven!"

"You...you're making baseless accusations."

"Slanderous accusations? The Duke Yansheng's hereditary surrender was for the sake of the common people, so isn't my Great Han Dynasty now poisoning the common people? Isn't that what you mean, brother?"

"you……"

The scholar who was weeping at the grave of the Northern Confucius was instantly humiliated, his face turning red, but he couldn't utter a rebuttal.

There was nothing he could do; the other scholar who argued with him was too shameless and immediately started accusing him of something serious.

Once the label was slapped on him, no matter how he answered, he would be wrong. While the Han emperor was indeed not punished for his words, that didn't mean local officials would tolerate scholars pointing fingers at him and criticizing him every day.

After stammering for a while, the scholar who was crying at the grave simply turned his head away and ignored the person who was arguing with him.

Seeing that he was no longer arguing, the man did not chase after him to "hit" him, and sat back down in his original seat.

As soon as he sat down, Liang Zhangju, who was watching the commotion, said, "Brother Shaomu, we are about to leave Nanjing and return to Fujian to take the provincial examination. Why waste our breath and make enemies here?"

The young Lin Zexu shook his head: "I just find it hard to stand. Among the scholars in Nanjing, there are some talented people and some mediocre ones, and quite a few of them."

"Does Your Majesty also think that His Majesty was right to kill the Duke Yansheng?" Liang Zhangju asked with a smile.

Lin Zexu countered, "Does my elder brother think something is wrong?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing together.

Because it's a very simple principle: right or wrong is irrelevant. Even if someone thinks it's wrong for the emperor to kill the Duke Yansheng, they still have to keep it hidden and even support the emperor's decision.

Otherwise, what kind of official position do you hold?

(End of this chapter)