The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 81 Straight into the Palace
Everyone in the Hanlin Academy was instantly drawn to the attention of everyone present.

Big rebellion?
What discovery has been made that the word "great rebellion" is used?

Although Xie Jin, the head of the Hanlin Academy, who was seated above the crowd, remained calm, his expression changed drastically. He strode down from above as if flying and said sternly, "What kind of treasonous words could a mere document have? You are so panicked that you have lost the dignity of a scholar."

This was naturally Xie Jin's deliberate act, pretending to be completely unaware, since the Hanlin Academy was a mixed bag, and naturally there were people from the Dongming Academy lineage among them.

Sure enough, the commotion here quickly attracted the attention of officials from the other houses, all of whom were "outsiders" who had been excluded from the task of compiling history by Xie Jin.

"What happened?"

“I could hear the noise from over there.”

"It is said that a treasonous act was discovered in the history of the Yuan Dynasty."

The crowd whispered among themselves, and upon hearing these treasonous words, many people born in Zhejiang turned pale.

"Scholar Xie, I dare not speak nonsense. It is indeed a treasonous matter. I beg you to see the truth."

Xie Jin, his face full of doubt, reached out and took the scroll. "Then I'd like to see what's recorded here, so you can..."

Before he could finish speaking, the book in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound. At the same time, Xie Jin said in a trembling voice, "More than just treason?"

The others in the room could no longer sit still and rushed over to see what was written on it, some even getting their clothes disheveled from the jostling.

That thin book was passed from hand to hand among the people.

The book seemed to have been cast with a silencing spell and a freezing spell. Everyone who finished reading it was motionless and silent. The room, which had been as noisy as a market just moments before, became as quiet as if it were deserted.

The atmosphere inside the room was as stagnant as an ice cave. Everyone was suppressed by the frost of the 100,000-year-old river, and even held their breath. Even if a needle fell to the ground, it would be a deafening sound.

The vast majority of people were shocked, while others were trembling with fear. The contents of the book were even worse than the worst-case scenario they had anticipated, to the point that they wondered if it was a setup.

But they knew this was impossible. The History of Yuan was not a unique copy. It was not only in the Hanlin Academy, but also in the Imperial Academy and the palace, where it was sealed. Moreover, it was not a single piece of paper, but rather a series of interconnected sections, which contained the records in the History of Yuan.

After a long silence, someone finally spoke, their voice somewhat hoarse, "This matter... this matter deserves an explanation. What does Scholar Xie think we should do?"

Xie Jin was about to jump up from the ground, and he shouted in a shrill voice, disregarding his status and demeanor: "I thought?"

I am merely a Hanlin Academician of the fifth rank, with a low official position and limited authority. What right do I have to make this decision?
This matter can only be submitted to the Emperor for judgment; who else in the entire land can decide such a thing?

Xie Jin's words were immediately agreed upon by almost everyone. This was a terrible disaster, and they really didn't want to get involved at all. The only way was to leave it to the Emperor's judgment. Maybe if they found out about this matter then, the Emperor would reward them.

"Since this matter has been entrusted to the Emperor's judgment, we will immediately write a joint memorial and send it to the Office of Transmission. This matter is extremely urgent and should be able to enter the palace today."

The Office of Transmission was responsible for matters such as official documents and petitions from both inside and outside the court, as well as sealed appeals from officials and commoners. Its chief official, the Commissioner of Transmission, was one of the Nine Ministers, on par with the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

In the Ming Dynasty, not just any official could directly enter the palace. Therefore, members of the Hanlin Academy could not directly enter the palace to meet the emperor and report matters; they had to submit their memorials to the Office of Transmission.

The Office of Transmission would initially classify, organize, and register the received memorials, and check whether the format and content were reasonable. If there were no problems, they would prepare to report them. If it was an extremely urgent matter, they could directly report it to the palace.

Someone else said loudly, "Lord Jinghe is also the chief official. His Majesty has granted him a token to enter the palace. Why not have Lord Jinghe deliver it directly to His Majesty to avoid any further mistakes?"

"Duke Jinghe should not have entered the palace yet. We can still stop him in front of the palace now. If he has entered the palace, we will then submit a memorial to the Office of Transmission."

Everyone tensed up, not wanting to waste a single moment. However, such a matter, which threatened the very foundation of the dynasty, needed to be dealt with quickly and could not be delayed.

"No!"

Xie Jin raised his voice, saying that bypassing the Office of Transmission and reporting directly to higher authorities would inevitably displease them. Although Li Qi was the chief official, it was still a done deal, and there was no need to make enemies out of thin air. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. The more important it is, the more we must submit it in accordance with regulations. Today, even Lord Jinghe is not in the Hanlin Academy. If he submits it, it would make our Hanlin Academy look inappropriate. Immediately send a fast horse to the Office of Transmission!"

Once this matter reaches the Court of State Affairs, it will no longer be just a matter for the Hanlin Academy. The Commissioner of State Affairs may even personally go to the palace to report on this matter, and at that time, all nine ministers will surely gather together!
The emperor and Li Qi shared the idea of ​​making a big fuss and raising the level of the matter.

After the troops departed for the Office of Transmission, the Hanlin Academy remained solemnly calm. After this incident, no one had the mind to delve into the vast annals of history anymore.

"Gentlemen, let's look on the bright side. Doesn't this incident prove that our decision to revise history is correct? The court will surely pay even more attention to our work!"

Xie Jin's words brightened the eyes of most people in the Hanlin Academy. The reason for compiling history in the first place was to be dissatisfied with the previous history of the Yuan Dynasty. Now that the history of the Yuan Dynasty has such a big flaw, it only highlights their own shortcomings. The heavy atmosphere in the Hanlin Academy eased a little, and everyone even became somewhat expectant, wondering what His Majesty would do.

Li Qi had already entered the palace long ago. He wouldn't give anyone the chance to intercept him. This memorial could be brought into the palace by anyone, but not by him.

When the Hanlin Academy's men arrived at the Office of Transmission on horseback, they checked the identities of the officials and went inside. Even the Office of Transmission was taken aback by the scale of the event.

Those who didn't know better would think that another vassal king was suppressing a rebellion in his fiefdom, and that there was an extremely urgent battle report.

Upon receiving the report, the clerk who had received the report could no longer sit still. He immediately went to the main government office and found several officials of the Office of Transmission to report. In this way, the report was submitted to the Commissioner of Transmission, Zhao Juren, at an extremely fast pace, with very high efficiency.

Zhao Juren was no ordinary person. He became an official during the Hongwu era, and he was not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Instead, he was appointed as the Left Councilor of the Office of Transmission as an elder, and later transferred to the position of Left Councilor of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission. He eventually became the Left Transmissioner and was even sent as an envoy to Japan. In the early Yongle period, he continued to serve as the head of the Office of Transmission, one of the Nine Ministers. He lived until the seventeenth year of the Yongle reign.

Historically, he was described as "possessing integrity and uprightness, yet lacking compassion for the people." He was a relatively honest official, otherwise he wouldn't have survived under Zhu Yuanzhang. However, because he didn't care for the people, Li Qi didn't have much contact with him. Zhao Juren entered officialdom as an elder, indicating that he was already quite old, which made him somewhat slow in his actions. But once everyone had shared their thoughts, his leg pain and backache vanished instantly, and he immediately said, "Prepare the carriage immediately. I will take the memorial to the palace right away. You report to Scholar Xie that this memorial will not be delayed. Everyone else, continue with your work and do not slack off."

Having said that, his body, which had been somewhat unsteady, walked out of the yamen with boundless energy, surprising everyone. Then, remembering the contents of the memorial, a chill ran through them. So what if Song Lian and Wang Yi were dead? Even in death, their coffins would be opened, their corpses mutilated, their bones crushed and their ashes scattered. And their nine generations of relatives still alive would not escape either.

It's hard to believe that someone could have died so many years ago and still have such a terrible incident. The people in the Office of Transmission and the various ministries were all talk and no action, and the news quickly spread in a small circle.

This was also the purpose of Xie Jin's choice to submit the matter to the Office of Transmission. The wider the news spread, the more it would damage Song Lian and others. This was to create momentum for the emperor, making it impossible for him to downplay the matter or let it go.

Zhao Juren held the memorial in his arms, his face full of solemnity. He was from Lishui County, Yingtian Prefecture, and was a typical southerner. However, he was not a scholar, but an elder. Moreover, Yingtian Prefecture and Zhejiang were quite different.

The Commissioner of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices wielded considerable power; he could even suppress or manipulate many memorials. However, as soon as this matter was presented to him, he knew he couldn't suppress it. The compilation of history was a matter personally overseen by the Emperor, and Li Qi, the chief official, was in charge, whose message reached directly to the Emperor.

As someone who remained in a high position during the reigns of Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle, he possessed considerable political wisdom.

Although he had no evidence, his intuition told him something was wrong.

Previously, Fang Xiaoru, Qi Tai, and Huang Zicheng had their entire families exterminated. It was thought that was all. Although these three families suffered greatly, the Dongming Academy lineage remained powerful, after all, it was a school of thought that had flourished since the early Yuan Dynasty.

But if Song Lian and Wang Yi are exterminated, then the Dongming Academy lineage will have no one to lead the way in the short term. It will take at least ten or even twenty years to revive it.

The world is changing so fast, who can know what the situation will be like ten years from now? Perhaps it will be better, perhaps it will be worse.

Leaving aside others, take Li Qi for example. Eleven years ago, he was exiled to Jiangpu like a stray dog. Who would have thought that he would be able to attain enlightenment in Jiangpu? Later, when he returned to the capital, no one paid attention to him. However, he gradually embarked on the path of a sage and has even become a sage of his time.

As for Jian Shuren, in just three short years, he went from being the supreme ruler to a handful of dust. Who could have predicted that?

especially……

Zhao Juren lifted the carriage curtain, gazed at the majestic palace, and left his last words in the wind.

"Will the already rising School of Mind really give the Dongming Academy a chance to revive?"

If Li Qi knew what he was thinking, he would probably just chuckle and say, "Old man, you're still too young."

The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs naturally had a token. After entering the palace, he followed the Imperial Guards to the Hall of Literary Glory and waited outside the hall to report.

"Your Majesty, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Zhao, is requesting an audience outside the palace. He says he has an urgent memorial from the Hanlin Academy to present."

Inside the palace, Zhu Di was reviewing memorials, occasionally asking Li Qi for his thoughts. The two men were getting along well. While answering Zhu Di's questions, Li Qi was also considering the matter of moving the capital and how to maintain the northern defense line after the Prince of Sai moved south.

Upon hearing Hong Bao's words, the emperor and his minister exchanged a glance and instantly knew that it concerned matters of the Yuan Dynasty history!

Preparations for this matter began in the first year of the Yongle reign, and now it is finally about to come to a conclusion.

At first, Zhu Di did not actually dislike the people of the Dongming Academy. He just disliked Fang Xiaoru, so he hated Fang Xiaoru and wanted to cut off Fang Xiaoru's lineage.

But things developed in ways he never imagined. From the errors in the Yuan History to the three questions Wang Shen posed to the court, he finally realized that there was something wrong with the Dongming Academy lineage.

This group genuinely missed the Yuan Dynasty, and they continued to stir up trouble in the court, even persuading the late emperor to acknowledge the Yuan Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty.

this is too scary!

Song Lian was not only the teacher of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, but also the teacher of Zhu Di when he was young. At that time, all the princes of similar age were taught by Song Lian, and at that time they did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.

If Li Qi hadn't pieced together these clues, no one would have imagined that a highly learned Confucian scholar, who was valued by the emperor and even taught princes, secretly longed for the previous dynasty.

Seeing that the previous dynasty could not be restored, they even tried every means to glorify the previous dynasty and make the new dynasty flatter the legitimacy of the previous dynasty.

By this time, Zhu Di's views had completely changed, and he wanted to completely eradicate this malignant tumor attached to the Ming Dynasty.

If it weren't for Li Qi's persuasion—"The ruler has the power bestowed by Heaven, and thus can act arbitrarily. But people have their own sense of justice. It may seem that a ruler is not wrong to act violently without asking why, but in reality, what is consumed is the people's hearts, prestige, and even the fate of the country. If everything is done with a just cause and with fair treatment to achieve one's goals, not only will one accomplish what one wants to do, but one will also greatly increase prestige and the fate of the country will be longer"—Zhu Di would probably have directly ordered the execution of all these people.

When Zhao Juren entered the hall, he saw the emperor sitting at the head of the table and Li Qi at the foot. He was surprised to see Li Qi there, and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes. Li Qi was truly trusted by His Majesty, who had summoned him alone for so long.

How could he not guess that Li Qi was not merely sitting idly here, but was potentially involved in various affairs of the Ming Dynasty, even if it was just the power to offer suggestions? That would be quite extraordinary.

"What memorial does Minister Zhao have that requires you, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, to personally come to the palace?"

After bowing, Zhao Juren solemnly handed the memorial written by the Hanlin Academy to the eunuch Hong Bao and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the memorial sent by the Hanlin Academy concerns a fundamental matter of the nation. After reviewing it, I found it to be extremely serious, so I dared not delay and immediately sent it to the palace for Your Majesty's perusal!"

Zhu Di reached out and took the memorial, glanced at it casually, and his long-brewing anger instantly flared up. He threw the memorial heavily into the hall.

"To be killed!"

"Traitor! He should be killed!"

The emperor's furious voice echoed throughout the hall, like molten lava erupting from a volcano, threatening to scorch and destroy everything!
End of 10,000 words
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(End of this chapter)