Di Ming

Chapter 401 Your Majesty Begs to Retire!
Tens of thousands wept in the Meridian Gate Square, their tears falling like rain. When the tragic news reached outside the capital, tens of thousands of Beijing residents mourned as if they had lost their own parents.

The entire city was plunged into mourning, filled with the sound of weeping!
Countless people spontaneously burned incense and paper money, dressed in white mourning clothes, to send Hai Rui back to Heaven. Upon hearing the news, major Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, City God temples, Wenchang temples, and Guan Yu temples in the capital immediately rang their bells and held Buddhist and Taoist rituals for Hai Rui.

Even major mosques recited the "Yasin Chapter" for Hai Rui, praying for the sage's resurrection.

"Clang—clang—clang!"

"Woo-"

The funeral bells of hundreds of temples, monasteries, and shrines in the capital, as well as the unique gongs of the Tantric Lama temples, rang out one after another. Accompanied by Buddhist chants and the cries of the whole city, they gathered into a magnificent and tragic heavenly sound, deafening and earth-shattering.

The incense, candles, paper money, and funeral banners in the city were all sold out in less than an hour. The entire capital was shrouded in smoke, with ashes flying everywhere and the air filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, even during national mourning, there was never a city filled with weeping. Such a scene of the entire city weeping only occurred once more than a hundred years ago, when Yu Shaobao was unjustly executed.

Including this time, this has been the only time in over two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty that such an event has occurred.

This is not a national mourning, but a mourning for the death of a minister of the dynasty, none is more tragic than that of Hai Rui!
When the news reached the palace, the emperor remained silent for a long time, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Hai Rui, this stubborn man of decades, has finally died. Even in his death, he still dared to oppose me, still dared to make things difficult for me!
He died, and the whole city wept in grief!

The emperor couldn't help but feel jealous. He remembered when his grandfather, Emperor Shimiao, and his father, Emperor Mumiao, passed away. Although it was a national mourning period and according to ritual, all officials were supposed to mourn, very few people cried, not only outside the capital but even within Beijing itself. Apart from following the prescribed procedures, there were few cries of sorrow. Even the officials who were supposed to mourn according to the ritual mostly gave insincere and perfunctory performances.

But when Hai Rui died, the whole city wept, and soon the whole country would weep! Even the officials who had opposed Hai Rui back then were now defending the posthumous honors bestowed upon him.

This is really unreasonable!

What are your intentions? You are deliberately trying to embarrass me! You bestowed upon Hai Rui such great honors just to embarrass me! Your hearts are despicable!
The emperor is your father. He has passed away, and you don't weep? Do you still have any filial piety? You don't weep for the emperor, but for a mere minister—where is the moral order? Truly, people's hearts have changed beyond recognition!
Very well, you've embarrassed me, so I'll embarrass you in return.

Once you've petitioned for a posthumous title for Hai Rui, I'll give him a terrible one!
The character 刺 (cì) means to be stubborn and ruthless, violent and heartless, or to be indifferent to peace and happiness.

This Hai Rui was eccentric, rebellious, stubborn, and domineering, which perfectly matches the derogatory posthumous title of "la" (刺).
Just as the emperor was thinking about this, Zhang Jing came to report: "Your Majesty, the Grand Secretaries and the Nine Ministers have been summoned to the Wenhua Hall and are waiting for an audience. Please, Your Majesty, move to the Wenhua Hall."

The emperor said coldly, "I haven't been to the Wenhua Hall for several years. Today, I'll see just how big a show they can put on. Zhang Jing, issue the decree: martial law throughout the city!"

"According to the order!"

The emperor then changed into casual clothes, put on a winged crown, rode in a palanquin with a five-phoenix canopy, and was surrounded by attendants as he headed to the Wenhua Hall.

The sunlight at 9 AM made the emperor's eyes a little blurry. As the Cultural Hall drew closer, the emperor suddenly felt a sense of revulsion.

He doesn't want to go anymore.

He hated going to the imperial court; he only wanted to go back to the inner palace, lie down, smoke opium, drink alcohol, play mahjong, listen to music, look at account books, and then take an aphrodisiac to find a concubine to vent his anger.

"Go back." The emperor, thinking of the things he loved to do, finally uttered these two words.

I am the emperor, why should I let them wrong me?

Zongqin, who was following beside the palanquin, was taken aback. "Grandpa isn't going to the Wenhua Hall?"

The Emperor waved his hand impatiently, "I'm not going. Return to the Qianqing Palace! Summon three Grand Secretaries to see me there; the rest are out of the picture. Zongqin, go to the Wenhua Hall and deliver my oral decree!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zong Qin cursed under his breath, and respectfully accepted the order to convey the imperial decree.

Then, the imperial carriage, which was almost at the Hall of Literary Glory, suddenly turned around and headed back towards the Hall of Heavenly Purity.

...

Meanwhile, Wang Xijue and other cabinet ministers and nine high officials were all greatly encouraged when they received the imperial edict to have an audience with the emperor in the Wenhua Hall.

The Emperor has not visited the outer court for several years, yet he summoned the officials to the Wenhua Hall today, which shows that the Emperor is willing to listen to the voices of the officials.

This is good news. Perhaps, because of today's Jia Yin Incident and Hai Rui's death, the Emperor might change his mind and repent.

That would be a turn for the better, a blessing for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Wang Xijue and others immediately rushed from the Meridian Gate to the Wenhua Hall to await the emperor's arrival.

The assembled officials agreed that once the Emperor ascended the throne in the Wenhua Hall, they must take advantage of this rare imperial conference to speak freely and devise a sound plan for handling the aftermath of the Jia Yin Incident, resolving the disputes, and appeasing the hearts of those both inside and outside the court. In short, the solution lay in a compromise between the palace and the outer court, with each side taking a step back.

We must neither disappoint everyone too much, nor put the emperor and father in too difficult a position.

Before Wang Xijue and his entourage could even arrive, they were greeted by Zong Qin, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, who came to deliver an imperial edict.

"Gentlemen," Zong Qin said with a smile, "His Majesty is unwell and unable to visit the Wenhua Hall at the last minute. He has turned back to the Qianqing Palace halfway there. His Majesty has issued an oral decree summoning the three Grand Secretaries to the Qianqing Gate for an audience. The other ministers will not be seen."

What?! Everyone was utterly bewildered. Wasn't this a joke? The imperial edict summoned them to the Wenhua Hall for a meeting, so why had the Emperor changed his mind again?

I thought the Emperor was starting to change his ways, and that coming to the Wenhua Hall for a meeting was a good sign, but who knew he would return to the Qianqing Palace halfway through!
The Qianqing Palace is less than a mile from the Wenhua Hall, and the imperial carriage can reach it in half a quarter of an hour, but the emperor is unwilling to come!

Is this true?

The cabinet ministers and the nine high-ranking officials all had gloomy faces and were disappointed.

Wang Xijue could only say, "Please inform Your Majesty that the three of us will arrive shortly. We ask Your Majesty to wait a moment."

After Zong Qin left, Li Shida, the Left Censor-in-Chief, was the first to angrily say, "His Majesty has broken his promise! He issued an imperial edict saying that he would come to the Wenhua Hall to discuss matters and summoned us here, but he turned back to the inner palace and only saw the cabinet ministers!"

Minister of Personnel Sun Piyang said coldly, "His Majesty's neglect of state affairs has reached this point, and he is becoming increasingly frivolous with national matters. It seems that the worries of the Duke of Hai before his death will come true. With the sovereign so willful, how can we, as his subjects, conduct ourselves?"

"How should we conduct ourselves?" Minister of Rites Luo Wanhua sneered. "We can only resign. If our principles are not followed, we will take a raft and float on the sea."

Wang Xijue sighed and said, "Gentlemen, please go to the Meridian Gate to maintain order and calm the officials and scholars. The three of us will go to the Qianqing Gate. Rest assured, the Cabinet will definitely come up with a plan for His Majesty; there must be an explanation."

Sun Piyang raised his thick eyebrows. "The three Grand Secretaries, you won't just give in to His Majesty all the time, will you? Grand Secretary, you must stand firm on your bottom line."

Luo Wanhua also said, "Yes, Grand Secretaries, if His Majesty is unwilling to compromise, we must not abandon our bottom line. The posthumous title of Duke Hai and the characterization of his petitioning in the capital are our bottom line."

The others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, giving a positive characterization to the petition to the capital and bestowing a good posthumous title upon Hai Rui was the bottom line for the officials. If this bottom line was maintained, it meant the situation was largely under control. If this bottom line was not maintained, then the court would be completely out of balance, and the eunuch faction might truly seize power, repeating the story of the late Eastern Han and late Tang dynasties.

Zhang Wei said, "Today, even if I die at the Qianqing Gate, I will never allow His Majesty to act willfully. It's just death! In the more than two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, countless remonstrating officials have been beaten to death. What difference does one more make?"

Wang Xijue, with his flowing white beard, said in a deep voice, "Someone must take responsibility for this matter. I am the Grand Secretary, who else but me? Things have escalated to this point. We can't expect the Emperor to issue an edict of self-reproach, can we? But before I resign, I will risk my frail body to properly resolve this matter. Please rest assured."

He knew that his time as Grand Secretary was coming to an end. The previous defeat of the royal army in Goryeo had been borne by the Second Grand Secretary Zhao Zhigao, who had resigned to take the blame. Now, Zhao Zhigao had retired and returned to his hometown. Today, with the Jia Yin Incident, it was his turn as Grand Secretary to take responsibility.

We can't let His Majesty take the blame.

Normally, civil officials are far from a monolithic group; factionalism and exclusion of dissidents are commonplace. But at this moment, the vast majority of them have set aside past grievances and united as one.

They knew that this incident was no longer just a matter of national importance, but also a matter of the survival of the nation and the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

Once the emperor acts arbitrarily and the eunuchs wield immense power, not only will the scholars lose their authority in the court, but the central government will also clash with the local authorities, making widespread chaos inevitable. Sun Piyang and the other nine ministers solemnly bowed and said, "We entrust this important matter to the cabinet. We will await good news outside."

The three cabinet ministers straightened their clothes and walked out of the Wenhua Hall side by side toward the Qianqing Gate.

After passing through the Huiyin Gate of the Outer Court and using your waist token to pass through the Jingyun Gate, you will enter the Inner Palace area.

The three Grand Secretaries entered the inner palace and were deeply moved by the magnificent Qianqing Palace.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, ministers have rarely been able to enter the inner palace area. When the emperor held court and discussed state affairs, he would go from the Qianqing Palace to the three main halls of the outer court, or the Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, and Wenyuan Pavilion.

However, the current emperor has not come to the court for several years. Even when he occasionally discusses matters, he summons his ministers to the inner palace and holds an audience at the Qianqing Gate.

Even cabinet ministers like Wang Xijue often only saw the emperor once every few months. Most of the Nine Ministers would not see the emperor's face for a whole year.

With very few exceptions, ministers below the Nine Ministers had not seen the emperor for several years. So much so that some officials who had not been in office for long did not even recognize the emperor or know what he looked like.

The three of them, heavy with worry, crossed the Qianqing Gate Square and arrived at the platform beneath the Qianqing Gate. Above the platform lay the Qianqing Palace, the emperor's sleeping quarters.

The three of them climbed the steps and came to the west side of the platform, where they stood facing east.

They did not enter the Qianqing Palace. The emperor always summoned them from the platform at the Qianqing Gate, not inside the palace. They had served as officials for many years without ever entering the Qianqing Palace.

Inside and outside the Qianqing Gate, guards stood solemnly, their ceremonial presence imposing. The throne outside the Qianqing Gate had already been set up, and two palace maids stood respectfully holding ceremonial fans.

However, the throne was empty; the emperor was nowhere to be seen.

The emperor has not yet appeared.

Then let's just wait. Anyway, the Emperor is inside; he can't escape.

“Prime Minister, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Shen,” Zong Qin said as he came out. “Please wait here. Grandfather will be coming out of the hall to take his seat shortly.”

The three nodded and stood solemnly on the platform, awaiting the emperor's ascension to the throne.

Then the three high-ranking cabinet ministers waited for a full quarter of an hour, but the emperor did not come out of the hall to take his seat.

All three were elderly, and they were starting to feel dizzy from standing.

It was almost noon, and the April sun was already quite scorching; all three Grand Secretaries were sweating profusely.

The three men were inwardly frustrated, but fortunately, each possessed exceptional self-control and remained calm. Every time they were summoned to an audience at the Qianqing Gate, they always had to wait quite a while.

They listened intently, and faintly heard the clanging of a mahjong table coming from inside the hall, as if the emperor was playing cards.
At this hour, the Emperor still has the mind to play games!
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor, Zhang Jing, Gao Cai, and Gao Huai were playing mahjong. Zong Qin stood beside the Emperor, burning longevity ointment for him.

After two rounds, the emperor was in a better mood. Zong Qin said, "Reporting to Grandfather, the three Grand Secretaries are waiting outside."

The emperor seemed to wake from a dream, "Why didn't you remind me sooner? Change your clothes and leave the palace."

Only after leaving did he reluctantly end the card game, lazily stand up, and be helped by eunuchs to change his clothes before leaving the hall and taking his seat.

Zhang Jing and other eunuchs also came out and stood on both sides.

The three Grand Secretaries, who had been eagerly awaiting the Emperor's arrival, immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The obese Wanli Emperor was helped onto the throne, where he looked down at his three regents, his eyes once again flashing with anger.

He didn't immediately tell them to rise, but instead quietly watched them, deliberately letting the three of them kneel for a while longer.

The three men knelt on the ground. The emperor did not tell them to rise, so they dared not get up and could only kneel obediently.

This was actually the emperor being impolite.

After a full ten breaths, the emperor said in a cold tone, "Gentlemen, please rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Xijue and the other two finally stood up, swallowing their anger.

It is truly disheartening that a high-ranking cabinet minister, the face of the court, was deliberately humiliated by the emperor in terms of etiquette.

“Mr. Wang,” Wanli said, turning first to the Grand Secretary, “they are forcing the emperor to abdicate, striking from school, skipping court, and resigning from their posts. Does the Ming Dynasty still have any dignity? What are the true intentions of these perpetrators? What advice do you have for me, Mr. Wang?”

Emperor Wanli got straight to the point, directly demanding an explanation.

Wang Xijue said calmly, "Today's events have caused quite a stir, even disturbing His Majesty, and we all bear an inescapable responsibility. However, everything has two sides, with both advantages and disadvantages. We must both apologize to His Majesty and congratulate him."

"Oh?" Wanli sneered, "Such a major incident occurred at the Meridian Gate, with eight hundred officials and over ten thousand scholars staging a sit-in and kowtowing to the imperial palace, and dozens of people dying, their bodies displayed as a show of force. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been such a calamity. And Mr. Wang actually wants to congratulate me?"

“Indeed, His Majesty deserves congratulations,” Wang Xijue said earnestly. “A country with honest ministers must have a wise and virtuous emperor. Hai Rui, at the age of eighty, led three thousand scholars to the capital to petition. If it weren’t for a wise and righteous ruler, how could this have been achieved? How can we say this is not a sign of a prosperous era?”

"For over two hundred years, the nation has nurtured scholars, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, educating and enlightening all. As a result, virtuous and ambitious people have emerged in abundance throughout the land. Gentlemen and wise men are everywhere. This is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty and the sign of its destiny. Otherwise, why would tens of thousands of passionate young men travel thousands of miles to the capital to petition, taking the affairs of the nation as their own responsibility? Compared to the silence and indifference of the masses, is this not something to be celebrated?"

Upon hearing this, Wanli was speechless. He knew the other party was making excuses, but he simply couldn't refute them. When it came to eloquence, how could he compare to these experienced civil officials?

But he doesn't need to refute it, because someone else will refute it for him.

As expected, Zhang Jing said coldly, "Grand Secretary Wang, you are mistaken! Scholars are not necessarily gentlemen, and hypocrites who are sanctimonious and seek fame are as numerous as hairs on a cow and are rampant. There are countless of them in the capital right now. They are used to using public office for private gain, how could they be truly loyal to the emperor and the country?"

He pointed outside and said, "Those people sitting quietly at the Meridian Gate right now, their intentions are beyond question! Compared to the rebels, they are simply unarmed! If they had weapons, they would have stormed into the Forbidden City long ago!"

"Hmph, you say they are scholars who came to the capital to petition, then why did they secretly contact Prince Xin? Why did they contact the generals of the capital garrison who hold military power? If this is just petitioning, then if someone rebels one day, it can also be called petitioning. Grand Secretary, you are turning black into white, covering up and condoning, trying to downplay the seriousness of the matter and avoid the important issues. Could you be the mastermind behind this? Or did Prince Xin give you some promise?"

Eunuchs and civil officials are both good at arguing, but they do it in different ways.

Civil officials are good at arguing, but it's essentially still debate. They're just more well-read and know many profound principles from books, so they can quote extensively from classical texts and speak in a way that's irrefutable. Even when they resort to sophistry, they're still making sense.

Therefore, when civil officials quarrel, the more knowledgeable they are, the more eloquent they become.

Eunuchs were different. When eunuchs argued, they didn't talk about grand principles; instead, they fabricated stories out of thin air, distorted facts, called a deer a horse, and framed others. Their bottom line was far lower than that of civil officials. It was less of an argument and more of a slander and defamation.

Wang Xijue was so angry that his beard stood on end. He looked coldly at Zhang Jing and said, "Lord Zhang is the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the chief minister, and also the prime minister of the country. Why do you act so disregard the law and justice?"

"Let's not beat around the bush. You say they secretly communicated with the Prince and the generals of the capital garrison, but that's nothing more than fabricating evidence and framing them. How can you convince the world? The Holy Emperor's eyes are as sharp as lightning. How can you deceive His Majesty? Do you think all the scholars in the world who are well-versed in the classics would believe these fabricated pieces of evidence?"

Zhang Jing laughed and said, "It is precisely because they are hard to believe that they can achieve the miraculous effect of catching people off guard and attacking them when they rebel, which is in line with the art of war. No one believes that scholars can rebel, which has become their opportunity to rebel. Nothing in this world is absolute. Mr. Wang has not seen any evidence, yet he insists that the evidence is forged. What is his intention in acting so arbitrarily and conjecturingly?"

Zhang Wei snorted coldly, "His Majesty knows the Grand Secretary's intentions, the Empress Dowager knows, all the officials know, Heaven knows, Earth knows, and everyone in the world knows! Whether you know or not, Lord Zhang, we don't care. Even if you say we are plotting a rebellion, that's your own business, what does it have to do with us?"

Wang Xijue took off his official hat and knelt down again, saying:
"Your Majesty, as the chief minister, I cannot escape my responsibilities. I am not here today to argue or quarrel with the inner minister, but to request my resignation due to illness and to ask for my remaining years!"

Shen Yiguan and Zhang Wei also removed their hats and bowed again, saying in unison:
"The scholars' petition to the capital led to this incident, and the cabinet bears inescapable responsibility. I resign to take the blame and request to retire!"

Is this just being unreasonable?

Okay, we're quitting!
(End of this chapter)