I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

March 15th.

Rumors of Shen Nian's "abuse of power for personal gain and acceptance of bribes" continued to circulate in both the imperial court and among the common people.

On the streets of the capital.

Some scholars, officials, and wealthy merchants who had suffered losses due to Shen Nian's policies wrote articles to insult him, calling him a hypocrite who deceived the emperor and the people.

Some of Shen Nian's die-hard fans claimed that someone was using this incident to frame Shen Nian, and that they were certain Shen Nian was innocent until the court released official documents and announced the results.

For a time, opinions were divided, tabloids sold like hotcakes, and teahouses and taverns were filled with people discussing the matter.

Inside the imperial court.

Xu Liang, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of War, had become the leader of the censors who impeached Shen Nian.

He declared loudly in the main hall of the Court of State Affairs that if the court did not convict Shen Nian according to the law, he would kneel to death in front of the Meridian Gate.

At the same time, all five cabinet ministers remained silent.

Zhao Shizhen, the clerk of the Ministry of War's Office, Qin Xiucai's bookstore owner and clerk, and Shen's steward Aji, who were involved in bribery, were all taken to the imperial prison.

Officials from the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and other government departments who knew Shen Nian did not take advantage of his misfortune.

On the one hand, they felt that given Shen Nian's intelligence, it was impossible for him to ruin his reputation over a book worth more than ten taels of silver; on the other hand, they simply did not believe that Shen Nian would help an incompetent fellow villager arrange an official position, because Shen Nian detested incompetent officials the most.

Some officials are still hesitant.

They felt that Shen Nian seemed unlikely to clear his name, but that the young Wanli Emperor and Zhang Juzheng would most likely protect him.

……

March 16th, at the fourth watch, under the Huangji Gate.

The morning assembly is about to begin.

At this moment, Xu Liang, a censor in the Ministry of War, and other officials held their chests high and straightened their backs.

Last night, all of them stayed up late at home preparing their speeches.

They believed they were in the right, and that whether it was the young Wanli Emperor or Zhang Juzheng who protected Shen Nian, they would still bite the bullet and fight back.

This is a golden opportunity to make a name for yourself!
Even if one is dismissed from office or flogged in court today, as long as one survives, one can rise to prominence and have a successful career in the future.

For officials who want to be promoted and hold high positions, offending the emperor when they are in the right is the quickest way.

Moreover, Shen Nian has many political enemies in the court!

……

A moment later, the morning court session officially began.

After the civil and military officials paid their respects, the official on duty at the Office of Transmission began to read aloud the recent memorials.

Just when the officials thought that their impeachment memorial against Shen Nian would not be read aloud at the court meeting, the official on duty at the Office of Transmission suddenly read aloud the contents of the officials' impeachment memorial against Shen Nian.

Not all of them.

Instead, it extracted and summarized some of the more aggressive text.

"Xu Liang, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, submitted a memorial impeaching Shen Nian, a cabinet minister and concurrently Minister of War, stating that Shen Nian, who came from a family of scholars and was favored by the emperor, now indulges in greed and acts like a commoner, a beast in human clothing, disgracing the name of an upright official. He is unworthy to be the emperor's lecturer and unworthy to be a cabinet minister... All officials are ashamed to be ranked with him, and his official titles should be revoked as a warning to others."

"Zhang Zheng, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, submitted a memorial impeaching Shen Nian, the Grand Secretary and Minister of War, claiming that the Grand Secretary had secretly manipulated the annual performance evaluation, favoring his fellow townsmen, which led to the obstruction of virtuous officials and the promotion of mediocre ones, and that the ancestral system of selecting officials had collapsed. He argued that Shen Nian should be expelled from the cabinet immediately and that the three judicial departments should investigate and punish him severely."

"Liao Yu, the principal of the Ministry of Rites, submitted a memorial impeaching Shen Nian, the Grand Secretary and Minister of War, accusing him of perverting the law and accepting bribes. According to the Great Ming Code, he should be flogged one hundred times and dismissed from his post!"

……

After reading the impeachment statements of more than twenty officials, the official on duty at the Office of Transmission read them aloud, bowed to the young Wanli Emperor, and then stepped aside.

This move left the officials somewhat bewildered.

He specifically chose to read the memorials advocating for Shen Nian's dismissal and severe punishment, seemingly intending to severely punish Shen Nian, but this was not something that the young Wanli Emperor or Zhang Juzheng would do.

The young Wanli Emperor looked around, paused for more than ten breaths, and then waved to Feng Bao beside him.

Feng Bao immediately understood.

With a wave of his hand, four eunuchs immediately carried two large bamboo baskets containing memorials to the emperor and walked towards the corridor in the middle of the civil and military officials.

Wow! Wow!
Both large bamboo baskets containing memorials were dumped onto the ground.

The young Wanli Emperor exclaimed loudly, "These memorials are all impeaching Grand Secretary Shen!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Upon hearing this, the officials all looked at the young Wanli Emperor in surprise.

When an official's memorial was thrown to the ground by the emperor, it signified the emperor's extreme dissatisfaction with those officials.

If these officials are without fault, then the emperor is indecent and immoral. Even if he does not issue an edict of self-reproach, he must apologize before the portraits of his ancestors.

Swish!
Xu Liang, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, stepped forward without hesitation and knelt behind the pile of memorials.

"Your Majesty, even though our memorial impeaching Grand Secretary Shen has not yet presented any concrete evidence, Your Majesty should not have ordered the memorial to be thrown on the ground. Otherwise... who will dare to advise the emperor in the future, who will dare to speak the truth? We implore Your Majesty to put these memorials back in their proper place!" Xu Liang kowtowed heavily.

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

……

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty officials stepped forward to second the motion, feeling deeply insulted.

Little Wanli shook his head slightly.

"Reorganize? I believe I did the right thing, otherwise... I wouldn't have been able to wake you brainless officials up!"

The officials who seconded the motion were somewhat bewildered when they heard the young Wanli Emperor curse so bluntly.

It seems like the young Wanli Emperor has gone mad!
What puzzled them even more was that Zhang Juzheng remained completely silent in the face of the young Wanli Emperor's "reckless behavior".

After saying this, the young Wanli Emperor walked downstairs.

"Are you impeaching Grand Secretary Shen? No, you are offending the Ministry of Personnel, the Cabinet, and even me!"

"The selection of officials in our Great Ming Dynasty must be screened by the Ministry of Personnel, approved by the Grand Secretariat, and sealed within the Forbidden City. Do you think that the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel are all controlled by Grand Secretary Shen? That the Grand Secretariat is controlled by Grand Secretary Shen? That I am controlled by Grand Secretary Shen? How could you make an exception and recruit a mediocre official with extremely poor performance and who was just dismissed in the capital inspection into the Ministry of War?"

"What I see in these memorials is not the loyalty of ministers who serve the country and the people, but personal grudges, kicking someone when they're down, and opposition to the new policies! If, according to your rules of punishment, a cabinet minister can be dismissed for a book worth less than twenty taels of silver, then shouldn't officials who embezzle more than forty taels of silver be sentenced to death?"

"When the court needs your advice, you remain silent; when the court needs you to consider the overall situation and sacrifice your own interests, you hesitate. But when you think about impeaching Grand Secretary Shen and making your name in history, you write a memorial in an hour. At this moment, many censors probably already have many impeachment drafts in mind!"

……

Faced with a barrage of reprimands from the young Wanli Emperor, the officials who had impeached Shen Nian were all bewildered and felt completely lost.

At this moment, Xu Liang, the Ministry of War official who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head and bowed again.

"Your Majesty, we do not mean to offend Your Majesty or the Cabinet, but we believe that Cabinet Minister Shen Nian has deceived and misled everyone. As for whether we acted out of personal or public interest, time will tell. If we are guilty, we will be punished in accordance with the Great Ming Code!"

"Today, it is Cabinet Minister Shen Nian who has committed a grave crime. As officials responsible for remonstrance, we must fulfill our duty and report to Your Majesty. If we are found guilty in the future, we are willing to accept the severe punishment of the law!" "I second that!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

……

After Xu Liang finished speaking, more than ten officials immediately seconded his statement.

They all believed that the young Wanli Emperor spoke in this way in order to protect Shen Nian.

The young Wanli Emperor looked at Xu Liang.

"Xu Liang, you are truly shameless! First, you spent fifty taels of silver and promised to help Zheng Dian, the chief clerk of the Court of State Ceremonial, obtain the position of chief clerk of the Court of State Ceremonial. After obtaining information about Shen Qing's abuse of power for personal gain, you secretly reported it to the emperor. Then, you sold this information to the streets for one hundred and twenty taels of silver, making it known to both ordinary people and court officials. You have truly gained both fame and fortune!"

Xu Liang never expected that the young Wanli Emperor would uncover all his secrets.

He remained calm and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, as a censor, I need to collect intelligence from the people. Sometimes I need to buy intelligence. Most censors do this. The money I collect will be used for official business."

"As for my promise to appoint Zheng Dian, the Grand Secretary of the Court of State Ceremonies, as the Chief Clerk of the Court of State Ceremonies, it was merely a strategy I used to gather intelligence. I admit that my methods were somewhat flawed, but my aim was to eliminate the bad apples in the court. I believe that my merits outweigh my faults!"

Xu Liang deliberately raised his voice at the end, admitting that he had used improper methods of intelligence gathering for the sake of the imperial court, and that this crime was almost negligible compared to what he had exposed.

The young Wanli Emperor looked at him.

"When you received this information, did you ever doubt its authenticity? Did you remember to ask the Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet?"

Xu Liang straightened his chest.

"It is true that Zhao Shizhen sent the letter, that he is a fellow townsman of Grand Secretary Shen, and that he was appointed to the Ministry of War three days after being dismissed from his post. The evidence is conclusive. If I were to ask the Cabinet or the Ministry of Personnel, this matter might not be able to be told to the world!"

"Ugh!"

Emperor Wanli sighed and glanced at the impeachment memorial on the ground.

"Upon hearing this, I am extremely disappointed!"

"If you heard this news, your first reaction would be to verify it with the Ministry of Personnel, to verify it with the Cabinet, or to believe that I, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Personnel, or Minister Shen, that this matter would not have escalated to this point! You officials only care about fame and fortune; you have a very low opinion of my, the Cabinet, and the Ministry of Personnel!"

"That day, I saw piles of impeachment memorials but not a single official seeking the truth. In a fit of anger, I forbade the officials who knew the truth from speaking it out!"

Swish!
After speaking, the young Wanli Emperor flicked his sleeves and walked back to the throne, then slowly sat down.

Just as many officials were puzzled and did not know what it meant, the young Wanli looked at Wang Yi'e, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Wang Yi'e immediately stepped forward.

The story recounts how Shen Nian discovered Zhao Shizhen's talent for developing firearms, recommended him to the Ministry of Personnel, and after the Ministry of Personnel approved, reported to the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng. After Zhang Juzheng drafted his approval, the young Wanli Emperor, upon receiving reports from Zhangwu Earl and Wang Yi'e, quickly agreed to Zhao Shizhen's appointment to the Ministry of War.

"He... he's a ceremonial officer skilled in calligraphy, yet... he's skilled in developing firearms? So... so his appointment to the Ministry of War was actually to serve as an instructor in the firearms battalion, using his position as a clerk in the General Affairs Office?"

This truth left all the officials dumbfounded.

Wang Yi'e looked at Xu Liang and said loudly, "Such talents who develop firearms should not be made famous outside, lest foreign countries covet them. Therefore, His Majesty has not announced it to the public. As for the fact that he joined the Ministry of War so quickly, it is because the firearms battalion has just been set up and such rare talents are needed to join the army quickly."

The young Wanli Emperor added, "You people who immediately impeached Minister Shen upon hearing the news do so because you hate and envy him. You believe the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Secretariat will protect him, and you think I am not a virtuous ruler, is that right?"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Upon hearing this, all the officials who had impeached Shen Nian stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and shouted, "Your Majesty, we are foolish! Your Majesty, we are guilty!"

The truth came out.

The fact that Emperor Wanli just ordered someone to throw the memorial on the ground makes it seem reasonable, legal, and well-founded.

The young Wanli Emperor paused, and his expression softened.

"Rise, all of you! The reason I did not immediately reveal the truth is not to severely punish you, but to teach you a lesson. In the future, remember to think twice before you act, and do not blindly follow the crowd just because it is beneficial to yourself."

"In the present Ming Dynasty, no one can cover up the truth, and no one can break the law without being punished. Furthermore, don't think of me as so bad, don't think of the cabinet as so bad, and don't think of Grand Secretary Shen as so stupid!"

When Zhang Juzheng heard the phrase "no one can cover up the truth," a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

He knew that the young Wanli Emperor was referring to him.

He suddenly realized that the young Wanli Emperor had grown up and was showing signs of ruling in his own right. Although it was still difficult to judge whether he could become a wise ruler, no one could stop him from taking power.

At this moment, Xu Liang, a censor in the Ministry of War, panicked.

Once the truth came out, he was immediately labeled a fool who opposed the new policies, was eager for quick success and instant benefits, and had no regard for his country.

His future career was bleak.

Xu Liang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly said loudly, "Your Majesty, it is true that I impeached Grand Secretary Shen without knowing the truth, but officials have the right to report on matters based on hearsay. In addition, although Grand Secretary Shen did not abuse his power for personal gain, it is a fact that he accepted bribes, and he should be punished!"

At this moment, many officials looked at Xu Liang with pity.

The young Wanli Emperor's words just now indicated that he was unwilling to pursue the impeaching officials. Xu Liang's pursuit of Shen Nian to accept a book worth less than twenty taels of silver and his subsequent impeachment of him was tantamount to courting death.

In today's society, exchanging a Song Dynasty edition book with fellow villagers is hardly considered bribery.

The young Wanli Emperor's face darkened.

"The Song Dynasty edition of Du Fu's collected works in Shen Qing's home was not a gift from Zhao Shizhen. Rather, Shen Qing instructed his steward, Aji, to repurchase it after Zhao Shizhen returned it to Qin Xiucai's bookstore. The testimony in the imperial prison has already been prepared. If you do not believe what I say, go and see for yourself, go and ask! Do not assume others are corrupt just because you are corrupt yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Liang felt his head explode and immediately fainted.

His life is completely over!

The other officials who had submitted memorials impeaching Shen Nian were all glad they hadn't said much earlier; if they had stolen Xu Liang's thunder, they would have been the ones in trouble.

Immediately afterwards, Emperor Wanli instructed the Ministry of Justice and the Shuntian Prefecture to write down the ins and outs of the matter and inform the people before he adjourned the court.

After leaving the court.

The officials who impeached Shen Nian hurriedly went to find their memorials that had been thrown on the ground.

Shen Nian jogged toward the cabinet office; if he was a little slower, many officials would be there, weeping and pitifully apologizing to him.

What can be predicted next is that many people who have insulted Shen Nian on the streets will become those who praise Shen Nian's achievements.

This time, Shen Nian felt no emotion whatsoever.

What he sensed was that the young Wanli Emperor had used this incident to put on a grand show, not only disciplining the censors and establishing imperial authority, but also powerfully demonstrating his ability to rule in his own right.

……

At dusk that day.

Fang Ping, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, presented Shen Nian with the five missing volumes of the "Collected Works of Du Fu," explaining that His Majesty had ordered a search for them after learning that Shen Nian had received an incomplete copy.

Shen Nian quickly expressed her gratitude.

It was clear that the young Wanli Emperor intended to cultivate Shen Nian into one of his own, making Shen Nian believe that only the young Wanli Emperor could protect him from harm in the entire Ming Dynasty.

The young Wanli Emperor's ambition and aspirations were written all over his face. (End of Chapter)