I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 75 Five major points! The emperor issued an edict of self-criticism, and the six ministries wrote letters of apology

The next day, at morning, the light was dim.

All officials gathered at the Huangji Gate, with Empress Dowager Li standing behind the curtain, and Shen Nian standing to the southeast of the throne as the daily record officer.

Little Wanli sat high on the throne, his face serious, looking around.

"Yesterday, the special envoy I sent to investigate the disasters in Liaodong has reported the full findings. Now, I would like to ask the Prime Minister to make an announcement."

The officials all looked up in surprise and looked at Zhang Juzheng.

As usual.

Those responsible for reading memorials at court meetings were either the Six Departments’ Censors or the officials on duty at the Ministry of Public Security.

The cabinet chief Zhang Juzheng read it out personally, which is very likely to mean something big is happening.

Zhang Juzheng strode out.

"In the first half of the third year of the Wanli reign, Liaodong was hit by drought, and in the second half by floods. These disasters continued, destroying farmland and homes, and leaving more than 300,000 people homeless."

"In addition to allocating silver to aid soldiers in Liaodong, the imperial court also allocated 150 million dan of disaster relief grain from the Ministry of Revenue, equivalent to 75 taels of silver. However, when the relief grain arrived in Liaodong, it was exploited and plundered by local officials, county and township clerks, local merchants, and ruffians... The value of the grain used to support the victims was less than taels..."

After Zhang Juzheng finished reading, almost all the officials in the hall were petrified, and their expressions were almost exactly the same as Shen Nian's when he first saw this content.

75 taels of silver were allocated for disaster relief, but less than 8 taels were used for disaster relief.

Is this still the Ming Dynasty where officials often wrote in their memorials that "administration is strict and laws must be enforced"?

this moment.

The censors standing in the middle had clenched their fists. They looked at the three cabinet ministers, the officials of the six ministries, and then looked up at the emperor sitting on the throne.

For a moment, I didn't know who to impeach.

Some officials also looked over at the three cabinet elders in front of them, as well as some officials who had close relations with Liaodong officials or had handled Liaodong disaster relief silver.

Such a horrific case of embezzlement of disaster relief funds.

If the court were to continue to be punished by a bunch of small fry as it was in the past, the scholars among the people would definitely curse the court to death, and the people on the border might start more riots.

A senior official must take the blame.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
More than ten censors stood up almost at the same time.

Their duties are: to advise the emperor on his mistakes, to supervise officials, to rectify the bureaucracy, and to speak for the people.

Today, the Liaodong disaster relief silver is a national shame, from the emperor to the officials, all are at fault.

They wanted to impeach him, rectify the government, and restore justice.

Little Wanli looked at the censors who took a step forward with a cold face.

"The cabinet has drawn up a solution, and I have agreed to it. Once the Prime Minister has finished speaking, other officials may offer their opinions!"

Hearing this, the censors all retreated.

Zhang Juzheng strode forward and announced, "Disasters have struck Liaodong, and officials are corrupt and embezzling. Based on the findings of our inspection, the Cabinet has drafted the following solution."

"First, provide further relief to the victims of the Liaodong disaster and reduce taxes. The court intends to allocate one million taels of silver to the victims of the Liaodong disaster and reduce taxes for two years. All relief funds will be paid by the inner court."

"Secondly, officials involved in embezzling disaster relief funds will be severely punished, regardless of their rank, and no one will be tolerated."

"Third, Your Majesty has said: The guilt of all nations lies with me. Liaodong has such a national disgrace, which is truly the fault of my inability to govern the country and control my people. I will issue an edict of self-reflection, reflect on myself, and apologize to the people of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Fourth, the Cabinet, which oversees state affairs, and the six ministries, are all at fault. In addition to fining the officials of each ministry for six months, the Cabinet ministers and officials from each government office are ordered to go to the outskirts of the capital to apologize to the victims of the Liaodong disaster. Afterwards, they must all write letters of apology."

"Fifth, afterward, your Majesty's edict of repentance, the letters of apology from the cabinet ministers, and the detailed handling of the Liaodong disaster relief fund embezzlement case were disseminated throughout the country in the form of official documents, and the Hanlin Academy compiled them into a book for historical purposes."

……

After Zhang Juzheng finished reading it in one breath, all the civil and military officials were stunned.

The emperor issued an edict of self-criticism, and officials from the six ministries wrote letters of apology and personally apologized to the victims. This national scandal was spread throughout the world and compiled into a book for historical purposes.

This kind of severe punishment from top to bottom has never happened in the entire Ming Dynasty, let alone since the time of Yao and Shun.

The censors opened their mouths slightly.

I just wrote a lot of ideas, but I found that not a single sentence was useful.

They thought that risking their lives to give advice could make the emperor write a confession of guilt and have some officials severely punished, which would be the limit.

I didn't expect the punishment to be so severe.

Several officials who were unaware of the situation were stunned.

They were suddenly fined for half a year's salary and asked to apologize to the victims, which caught them off guard. However, the punishment imposed on the emperor and the three cabinet ministers was so severe that they did not dare to object at all.

Some officials in the corners also looked at the young Wanli.

They thought to themselves: "They are just bullying the emperor because he is young. If the emperor were older, how could he be so impulsive and throw such dirty water on me? This dirty water can be thrown on Zhang Juzheng, because the military and political leaders in Liaodong are all his confidants." They thought this in their hearts, but did not dare to say a word.

……

It was surprisingly quiet in front of Huangji Gate.

After a silence of more than ten breaths, the young Wanli said loudly, "Do you have any objections?"

Who could object to such a punishment? How much more severe could it be?

It is impossible to drive out the three cabinet ministers and punish all the officials from the six ministries with beatings in court.

Zhang Siwei strode out, raised his head, stretched out his voice, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, confess your sins and take responsibility for all your mistakes to comfort the people and revitalize the court. Once corruption is eradicated and people's livelihoods are restored, there is no need to worry about the empire being in chaos and the world being in turmoil. I have no objection!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!
All the officials saluted at the same time and shouted, "I have no objection!"

Minister Zhang's ability to lead the ministers to support the proposal is unique. He always seizes the initiative and acts at the right time.

Little Wanli let out a long sigh.

He found that for some things where he couldn't make a decision, the consequences were not that terrible after he actually made a choice.

now.

Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian's eyes suddenly met.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Shen Nian smiled, feeling that through his own efforts, this dynasty, which was decaying and in disarray, seemed to have gotten a little better.

Zhang Juzheng laughed because he thought something was impossible, but he didn't expect it to be done like this.

He felt that Shen Nian was becoming more and more like his younger self, and even more energetic.

……

Behind the curtain.

Empress Dowager Li frowned slightly, first looking at Zhang Juzheng, then at Shen Nian.

Yesterday, little Wanli admonished her until late at night, and she was forced to agree, but she was still unhappy.

She felt that this matter should have been fully borne by the six ministries of the cabinet, but in the end it was the emperor who protected everyone from the wind and rain and became the biggest bearer of this national disgrace.

The main culprits are Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nian.

In the future, if she cannot achieve great achievements to make up for this stain on the young Wanli, she will definitely punish the two of them severely.

In addition, she was very dissatisfied with the fact that the one million taels of disaster relief silver were all spent by the inner court.

If she knew about this, she would never agree.

Suddenly, Empress Dowager Li glared at Feng Bao who was not far away.

Feng Bao was stunned at first, then he instantly understood why Empress Dowager Li was glaring at him.

He was also aggrieved.

When the young Wanli tried to persuade Empress Dowager Li, he felt that the promised 600,000 taels was too much.

What he didn't expect was that after seeing the victims in Liaodong, the young Wanli directly promised the cabinet to provide one million taels.

He was also kept in the dark.

But who can change what the emperor says in the regular court?
……

afternoon.

The news of the regular court affairs spread from the mouths of court officials to the ears of officials and clerks in various government offices, and then quickly spread to the streets of the people.

When some failed scholars heard that there was a scandal in the court that "75 taels of silver were used for disaster relief, but less than 8 taels were used for disaster relief", they were furious and filled with righteous indignation.

They immediately prepared to gather people to discuss politics and criticize the court from multiple angles.

However, when they heard the court's solution, they were dumbfounded.

The court punished itself in this way, and there is nothing to criticize. In the end, I can only say one thing: Those corrupt officials in Liaodong deserve to die!
The people of the capital were also quite surprised when they heard about the court's self-punishment.

This is completely inconsistent with their understanding of the court, but it is consistent with their expectations of an ideal court.

After the Liaodong disaster victims in the suburbs of the city learned about the court's handling of the Liaodong disaster, they all ran around to tell each other and were very happy.

Some victims even kowtowed towards the imperial palace and shouted: The emperor is wise!

The attitude is very pious.

Because their only support is the imperial court that often bullies them.

(End of this chapter)