I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 10: Imperial Lecture! Little Wanli's Rebellious Moment

March 22nd, around five o'clock in the morning.

With the help of his wife Gu Yue'er, maid Xiaotao, and servant Aji, Shen Nian took a bath, changed his clothes, and put on the official robe that had been fumigated with scent in advance.

Today is Shen Nian's first time attending the imperial lecture.

According to etiquette, all participants must fast, bathe, and burn incense on their clothes to show their piety.

Before leaving, Shen Nian said to his servant, Aji, "Aji, it's almost noon. Remember to take your lunch box and go to the east wing of Huangji Gate!"

"Yes, young master!" Aji said excitedly.

The so-called imperial lecture.

There were lectures on the meaning of the sutras and banquets three times a month, on the 2nd, 12th and 22nd of every month.

Class is over.

All participants in the imperial lecture could enjoy the imperial wine and food prepared by the Guanglu Temple, and could also ask their servants or book boys to pack up the food and take it home.

For officials, attending the imperial lectures was a great honor.

If Shen Nian could get Gu Yue'er to enjoy the imperial gift of wine and food once, according to his father-in-law's temper, he would be able to hold his chest high and tell everyone about it, and talk about it for half a year.

……

It was dawn, in the main hall of Wenhua Palace.

Zhang Juzheng, the director of the Imperial Lectures, and Lu Diaoyang and Zhang Siwei, the co-directors of the Imperial Lectures, stood at the front.

Following them were the ministers, vice ministers, and chief academic officers of the Imperial College, as well as the daily lecturers, book exhibition officers, and lecture writing officers who also held positions above the level of editor in the Hanlin Academy.

At the end there were officials from the Honglu Temple who were responsible for praising the emperor, the Jinyiwei who were responsible for security, the censors and officials in charge of etiquette and supervising all officials.

There were more than a hundred people.

Shen Nian, who was on duty to record the king's daily life, stood at the back.

He stood on tiptoe and could only see a green brocade robe and a bright red robe, and could not see the emperor's desk at all.

After a while.

The young Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun came to the front.

Zhang Juzheng led everyone to perform the ritual of five bows and three kowtows, and then the officials stood on both sides.

"Enter the lecture!"

With a clear shout from an official from the Honglu Temple, the imperial lecture officially began.

The book exhibition official began to lecture the young Emperor Wanli.

Zhang Juzheng was the first to come forward and talk about the picture book textbook "The Illustrated Account of the Emperor" that he had specially compiled for the young Wanli.

In the lectures on the imperial lectures, form is more important than content.

In fact, it is just a process to tell the people of the world that the court governs the country with the classics and history of sages, so that the people of the world can firmly engrave the idea of ​​"the ruler is the ruler and the minister is the minister" in their bones.

During the lecture.

The little emperor cannot move around, cannot interrupt, cannot look around, and must sit upright with a serious expression.

Shen Nian didn't like this teaching method. It was too rigid and formal, and it was as if he was treating little Wanli as a puppet.

Fortunately, daily lectures are much more flexible.

Soon.

Shen Nian felt a little drowsy, so he pinched his thigh to force himself to stay awake.

not far away.

There were two Jieshizhong who were specifically responsible for supervising the appearance of officials. Anyone who was disrespectful would be fined his salary at the very least, and beaten with a stick at the worst.

In such occasions, Shen Nian naturally had no chance to show up.

After the imperial lecture is over.

He only needed to write "On the 22nd, I attended the imperial lecture" in the notebook specially used for writing daily records, and his task would be successfully completed.

His only hope was to have a lunchtime banquet.

The banquets for imperial lectures have always been luxurious.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was actually very difficult to fleece the royal family.

……

In the blink of an eye, more than an hour passed.

The last lecturer of the imperial lecture, Minister of Rites Zhang Siwei, strode to the podium and began to tell a story from "Zhenguan Zhengyao" about a king accepting advice.

"According to the history of the Tang Dynasty, the Zhenguan era saw the most people holding the title of remonstrator, such as Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Qi Xunmo, who all defended their positions. As an official, one should never bend the will of the emperor and yield to his wishes..."

As Shen Nian listened, he suddenly sensed something was amiss. Zhang Siwei was reprimanding the young Emperor Wanli, accusing him of being too willful and refusing to listen to advice while listening to books in the inner study hall.

Although the young Emperor Wanli admitted his mistake in the end, he still refused to admit that he had spoken without thinking and said something wrong.

This kind of beating often occurred during the daily lectures on the classics.

After listening to it, the young Wanli would usually say: I understand or I will remember it, and he would not dare to resist at all.

After a while.

Zhang Siwei finished explaining the story.

Just when all the ministers breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to eat the imperial lecture.

"Cough cough..."

The young Emperor Wanli suddenly coughed twice, and after attracting the attention of the officials.

He said, "What Minister Zhang said makes a lot of sense. I will definitely keep it in mind. I have always disliked ministers who are compliant and obedient. I will also strive to be an emperor who is open-minded and willing to accept criticism."

"Recently, I have read the 'Imperial Mirror Illustrated Explanation' compiled by Mr. Zhenxue and attended the lectures of the Imperial Academy Reviewer Shen Nian. I have been deeply moved."

"I believe that the teaching methods should also be innovative and innovative to help me better complete my studies, live up to the late emperor's legacy, and become a wise and capable ruler!"

The word "Sir" in Emperor Wanli's name specifically refers to Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Nian, whose name was mentioned, instantly became alert.

He lowered his head slightly and gave a wry smile.

The little emperor is not as well-behaved as rumored outside.

He lived in the deep palace, had a lot of experience, and his mind was much more mature than that of ordinary people.

As he grew older, he was no longer the obedient mascot. He also wanted to gradually gain power and experience a greater sense of participation in the court.

He said this.

On the one hand, it was a resistance to Zhang Siwei taking the opportunity to attack him.

On the other hand, he felt that the way of daily lectures on the classics was not new enough and not effective enough, and thus he criticized the ministers instead.

At this moment, Shen Nian had the urge to beat up the young Emperor Wanli.

There is nothing wrong with the little emperor seeking innovation, change and progress.

But bringing out Shen Nian, a minor official of the seventh rank, and putting him together with Zhang Juzheng as an example would inevitably make Shen Nian the focus of attention of all the lecturers during the imperial lectures.

If he makes any mistake while teaching in the inner study hall in the future, he may be impeached.

If there were narrow-minded people who wanted to pick a fight with him, they could easily make things difficult for Shen Nian.

From now on, Shen Nian will live on thin ice.

Shen Nian naturally didn't believe that the little emperor would praise him so much just because he listened to one of his classes.

The young emperor simply used Shen Nian as a stone to hit the lecturers so that he could listen to the lectures in a more comfortable way.

now.

The hall became unusually quiet.

No one expected the little emperor to fight back, but his words were so polite and impeccable.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng stood up.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. We, your servants, will continue to work hard, seek innovation and change, and devote all our efforts to assisting Your Majesty!"

Suddenly, all the ministers bowed.

"Thank you all for your hard work!" A satisfied smile appeared on the face of the young Emperor Wanli.

Then, all the ministers knelt down in ceremony.

Then, under the leadership of Zhang Juzheng, they went to the east wing of Fengtian Gate to attend the imperial lecture.

Shen Nian's stomach was already rumbling with hunger.

He immediately put aside the pressure brought to him by the little emperor, prepared to have a good meal, and then asked Aji to fill the lunch box.

The imperial lectures were held three times a month.

As the rotating recorder, Shen Nian might not be able to participate once every two months.

The opportunity was rare, and he didn't want anything to affect his appetite.

……

Note: Lectures on the Classical Lectures were divided into two categories: the Classical Lectures and the Daily Lectures. The Classical Lectures were grand ceremonies, divided into spring and autumn lectures. The spring lectures ran from February 12th to May 2nd, while the autumn lectures ran from August 12th to October 2nd. Lectures were held on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of each month. Daily lectures were smaller in number and were held on all days except the third, sixth, and ninth days of the lunar calendar. This meant that within a ten-day period, there were three days of court attendance and seven days of lectures.

(End of this chapter)