I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 38: It is better to open up than to block, and it is better to guide than to open up (big chapter, please vote for me)

Wenhua Hall, in front of the imperial desk.

Empress Dowager Li slowly stood up and turned to look at Zhang Juzheng.

"Master Zhang, this book was found under the emperor's pillow. I will investigate who presented it to the emperor, but the next step in educating the emperor is up to Master Zhang and the other lecturers!"

"I obey your command!" Zhang Juzheng said solemnly, and bowed with the daily lecturers.

Then Empress Dowager Li left.

A group of daily lecturers gathered in front of the imperial desk. Shen Nian, who was in charge of taking notes before the emperor, also quickly moved over and finally saw the true appearance of the book.

The title of the book is: "The Story of King Wu's Conquest", a story about gods and demons that was originally published in the Yuan Dynasty.

The torn page.

It is an illustration called "Da Ji Transforms into a Fox".

The picture shows a woman wearing a long skirt and a very charming posture, with nine furry tails standing up behind her.

Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, Shen Shixing and other daily lecturers all gasped.

This type of vernacular novels are almost everywhere in folk book stalls.

But it should never appear in front of little Wanli.

This book goes against Confucian logical concepts and has obvious Buddhist, Taoist and supernatural elements.

There are also a lot of explicit descriptions showing the charm of Daji and the debauchery of King Zhou. Not only are the texts delicate, but there are also vivid illustrations.

How could the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty read such vulgar and dirty books!
Shen Nian let out a long sigh and felt a little more relaxed.

He thought that little Wanli was looking at "that".

However, considering the age of little Wanli, since he has already started reading this kind of street books, he is not far from secretly reading "that".

Zhang Juzheng had a gloomy expression and stroked his long beard lightly.

"Your Majesty has been punished to kneel several times this year. Further punishment is no longer effective. Everyone, please think about how to resolve this matter. How should we teach him next?"

Chen Jingbang, the daily lecturer, was the first to speak. "I suggest that, starting tomorrow, we change the daily lecture list to focus on the Book of Rites, The Great Learning, and The Imperial Ming Ancestor's Instructions. We will explain to Your Majesty the relationship between self-cultivation and state governance, and encourage self-reflection."

"I suggest that the person who presented the book should be severely punished, and the Imperial Palace should be thoroughly investigated to completely eliminate the opportunity for Your Majesty to read such vulgar street materials!"

"I suggest that Your Majesty write a confession of guilt. This kind of evil behavior must be stopped immediately and made to feel ashamed. Otherwise, who knows what book will be pulled out from under his pillow in the future."

"A confession of guilt? That's inappropriate! We can't make this matter so serious, otherwise we, the lecturers, will lose face!"

……

The Japanese lecturers expressed their opinions and had a serious discussion.

Shen Nian stood not far away and did not participate.

He had experience in dealing with such situations with young students, but he was not sure whether the lecturers at the time would accept his approach.

He stood quietly, wanting only to be a listener.

Although Shen Nian is also a daily lecturer.

But he was of the lowest official rank, and today his job was to take notes in front of the king, so it would be inappropriate for him to speak rashly.

In the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour passed.

Zhang Juzheng listened to the discussion of the lecturers, but his gloomy expression never eased.

He had thought about what everyone had said, but none of them could solve the problem this time.

Others may not yet realize the crux of the problem.

But Zhang Juzheng clearly felt that

As little Wanli grew older, he became more and more rebellious and had more and more ideas of his own.

Sometimes it seems well-behaved.

In fact, he is performing in front of others, but still doing his own thing behind the scenes.

This time he hid some folk books, but next time he might do something even more outrageous.

After being discovered and severely punished this time, young Wanli appears to be remorseful, but in fact he will most likely come up with a more covert way to hide and read books.

This is what Zhang Juzheng is most worried about.

He didn't want to spend a lot of energy competing with the young Wanli in a battle of wits and courage, but instead wanted to find a way to make the young Wanli less rebellious and not go against him.

present.

He is very busy with official duties and it is impossible for him to take care of every detail.

Empress Dowager Li had very limited control over the young Wanli, otherwise it would be impossible for the book to be discovered only after it was placed under the young Wanli's pillow.

As for Feng Bao, he attached himself to the young Wanli.

Sometimes, even if the young Wanli did something out of line, he would turn a blind eye as long as the former was satisfied.

If something went wrong, it would just be a minor eunuch who would take the blame.

Feng Bao's goal was to ensure that he would still be favored and treated well after the young emperor took power in the future.

Also.

Some eunuchs, palace maids and guards in the palace also understood this, so they dared to take risks to please him.

Zhang Juzheng was very clear about these situations.

……

After a while, the officials discussed and came up with two solutions.

First, light punishment.

That is, in the subsequent daily lectures on imperial lectures, the etiquette and law education of the young Wanli was strengthened, so that he would reflect on himself frequently and gradually recognize his mistakes.

Second, severe punishment.

He was ordered to write a confession of guilt and swear in front of the spirit tablets of his ancestors that he would never do such a rebellious act again, which made the young Wanli feel afraid.

After listening to this, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but shake his head.

"Daily lectures on etiquette are too light a punishment and are not enough to discipline Your Majesty. As for the edict of repentance, it is too severe a punishment and once it is used a few times, Your Majesty may not care anymore!"

Suddenly.

All the lecturers looked helpless, not knowing how to solve the problem.

Suddenly, Zhang Juzheng noticed Shen Nian standing not far away.

"Shen Nian, do you have any other ideas?"

Shen Nian hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord, my method is quite different. Let me explain it to you. If you can accept it, then accept it. If not, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

"explain."

Shen Nian said, "First of all, I think the Queen Dowager should apologize to His Majesty."

Most Ming Dynasty officials respectfully called Empress Dowager Li the "Empress Dowager," and in memorials to the emperor she was even referred to as the "Cisheng Empress Dowager."

Swish!
All the lecturers looked at Shen Nian. This speech was indeed a bit unconventional.

Shen Nian slowed down and straightened his chest.

"I believe that the Empress Dowager's search of Your Majesty's private chambers is highly inappropriate."

"Not only will it fail to deter Your Majesty from any disrespectful behavior, but it will actually cause Your Majesty to resort to every possible means to secretly hide more items and do more covert things. It will also further alienate you from the Empress Dowager, and you may even be unwilling to report anything truthfully!"

"If the Empress Dowager wants Your Majesty to obey her orders, she must trust Your Majesty and leave some freedom in His Majesty's life. Such secret searches should not be carried out again."

Zhang Juzheng nodded in approval.

He had already felt the alienation of the young Wanli towards him.

Last year, when the young Wanli called out "Sir, Prime Minister", he felt the warmth of the friendship between teacher and student, but now he felt more of politeness and rules.

"Secondly, I believe that blocking is not as good as dredging, and dredging is not as good as guiding."

"Your Majesty is at an age where he is full of curiosity about the world. He listens to lectures on official history every day, so naturally he is even more interested in these kinds of street-level books that he has never seen before."

"I think it's better to guide him to watch it than to watch it privately with others."

"We can bring folk street novels about medicine and divination, illustrated operas, and so on to Your Majesty, and let him read and explain them to you." "We can explain the difference between these street books and the classics of the sages, and the historical reasons why they are so popular in street bookstalls. Although these kinds of books may not be of practical use, they can still provide some relief for Your Majesty's studies."

"If we guide His Majesty to read, he won't become obsessed. If we keep stopping him, once he takes power, he might even read more of these kinds of books, trying to make up for the shortcomings of his youth!"

……

As soon as Shen Nian finished speaking, the daily lecturer Shen Shixing stood up.

"Absurd! Asking the Empress Dowager to apologize is absurd, and guiding Your Majesty to read such vulgar material is even more absurd!"

"Yes, how can Your Majesty read this kind of books?" added the daily lecturer Wang Jiaping.

"This is human nature!" Shen Nian said.

"Human nature? If Your Majesty starts to like reading something even more disgusting after reading this kind of books, should we still let him read them and indulge him?" Wang Jiaping questioned Shen Nian with glaring eyes.

Here.

Only Shen Nian's official position is lower than Wang Jiaping's.

If the Imperial Scholar Shen Shixing refuted Shen Nian, Shen Nian would not have argued, but facing the editor Wang Jiaping, Shen Nian still had to express his thoughts completely.

"What is a stinking book? Anything involving gods, demons, or lust is a stinking book? At your Majesty's age, it's perfectly normal for you to want to read such books. This has nothing to do with your moral character, or whether you've studied the classics of the sages. It's a necessary part of everyone's life!"

"Don't let him watch it now, stop him from watching it. If Your Majesty gets tired of it in the future and it affects your future marriage and the birth of children, who will bear the responsibility?"

"Our current task is not to make His Majesty admit his mistakes, but to make Him understand what He is doing, to make Him understand the value of these idle books and the value of the sages' classics. If we guide Him and give Him some freedom, His Majesty will not be so tired, and neither will we!"

Just as Wang Jiaping was about to continue speaking, the Imperial Academy scholar Ma Ziqiang suddenly said, "Everyone, didn't you read this kind of street-style novel when you were young?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

If you say you haven't read it, then everyone just looked at the cover and called it a street item, which is obviously problematic.

He said he had seen it when he was young, and he could cover it up by saying that he was reckless and curious when he was young.

If you say you have seen it after growing up, then you are associating with vulgar street things.

Suddenly, no one dared to speak up.

Wang Jiaping quickly lowered his head, afraid that Ma Ziqiang would question him.

The hall was quiet for about a few breaths.

Zhang Siwei said, "If we do this, who can convince the Empress Dowager to apologize to Your Majesty? Who would dare to place such a pile of idle books in front of Your Majesty? What if, what if Your Majesty learns bad things? You will be cursed by the whole world!"

After saying this, everyone looked at Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng was the chief minister.

If he could teach the little emperor to be a wise ruler, he would be the main contributor; if he could teach the little emperor to be a bad person, he would naturally be the main culprit.

Zhang Juzheng still needs to make the decision on this matter.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and said, "Our mission is to educate Your Majesty to be a wise ruler, not a sage who is detached from worldly affairs. There is no other good plan at the moment, but I think we can give it a try."

"I'll go persuade the Empress Dowager. As for how to guide Your Majesty to understand these kinds of street literature, we'll take turns. Shen Jianti and I will guide them for the first time. Let's see how it goes!"

"Also, this matter must not be made public. Your Majesty's every move affects the people of the world, so we only need to know about it."

"I understand!" Immediately, all the officials withdrew.

……

About half an hour later.

Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao appeared in the side hall of Wenhua Hall.

Zhang Juzheng expressed Shen Nian's thoughts.

"Empress Dowager, His Majesty has shown signs of rebellion since the beginning of this year. We have been suppressing him, which has been detrimental to his growth. We should find a new way to guide him. Following the advice of the daily lecturers, we hope..."

When Empress Dowager Li heard Zhang Juzheng's plan, she initially found it incredible.

But Zhang Juzheng told her that even if the young Wanli really looked at some more vulgar paintings in private, he could not order a ban.

Because if the young Wanli is traumatized by this and has no interest in women when he grows up, that would be terrible.

The emperor giving birth to a son is the empress dowager's first priority.

Hearing that it might affect the future of the dragon offspring, Empress Dowager Li suddenly became nervous and said quickly, "Listen to you, sir! All to you, sir!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Feng Bao standing beside him.

"Eunuch Feng, have someone quickly find some medical and divination novels, portraits, and songs from the folk. Remember, find clean ones."

There are also clean and unclean leisure books.

At this moment, the little emperor was still young.

Of course, we cannot immediately allow him to watch content about love between men and women.

He also has to learn these contents.

But it must be learned more subtly.

Or let the palace maids or the little emperor's concubines teach him in practice in the future.

This was something Zhang Juzheng couldn't teach, something Empress Dowager Li couldn't say, and Feng Bao didn't understand its meaning at all.

"I understand." Feng Bao immediately understood.

……

The next day in the afternoon.

Little Wanli looked at the pile of various street books on the desk.

I couldn't help but feel a little confused.

This morning, Empress Dowager Li suddenly apologized to him and promised not to rob his house again, which made young Wanli flattered.

Now, there are a bunch of books that he has long wanted to read placed here, which makes him feel like he is living in a dream.

immediately.

Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian on the side began to explain according to the categories of these leisure books.

A recorder was also set up nearby.

Shen Nian first explained the historical reasons for the formation of these idle books. On the one hand, they were fanciful and fabricated words made up by common people when chatting, and on the other hand, they were bizarre stories made up by some teahouse talkers to attract tea drinkers.

Zhang Juzheng explained the value of these leisure books: they can be used to listen to music and relieve fatigue, and they have no other use.

The two of them cooperated very well.

Little Wanli was very happy to learn and soon understood the reasons why Empress Dowager Li apologized and why Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian talked about idle books like that.

Young Wanli immediately stated that his future studies would naturally focus on the classics of sages and the essentials of state governance. These idle books were nothing more than entertainment, and he would just flip through a few pages casually, but he would never get addicted to them.

This made Zhang Juzheng feel relieved, and he felt that his relationship with the young Wanli had become closer.

……

As dusk approached, only young Wanli and Feng Bao were left in the hall.

"Otomo, who came up with the idea of ​​'blocking is worse than easing, easing is worse than guiding'?"

"This proposal came from Hanlin Reviewer Shen Nian. At the time, Elder Zhang and the other lecturers were hesitant, but I, knowing your majesty's thoughts, suggested that to ease your majesty's workload, we give it a try. The Empress Dowager and Elder Zhang agreed!"

Feng Bao would seek credit.

With just a few words, he placed the greatest credit for the matter on his own shoulders.

Little Wanli nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "The Queen Mother is very good, the Master is very good, Shen Jiantao is very good, and you are also very good. I will keep it in mind!"

And this moment.

Shen Nian, a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy, wrote in his diary: "On August 28th, the emperor lectured in the Wenhua Hall. During his rest time, he read folk books for his own amusement, which he found very enjoyable."

Although the fact of reading leisure books cannot be made public, it should still be recorded in the daily notes.

……

Note: After Emperor Wanli stopped attending court, he became very fond of reading. It is recorded: "He would instruct the Minister of Ceremonies and the Director of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to search for new books in the market and read them. He would buy all kinds of books, including classics on alchemy, medical and divination novels, and illustrated operas."

(End of this chapter)