I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 84 Who will investigate? Who dares to investigate? Chang Chao's blame-shifting performance
There was complete silence inside and outside the Huangji Palace.

All the officials looked at Yao Bin, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Personnel.

Even the censors were shocked, thinking that he was willing to sacrifice his life to gain a reputation for being upright!
His impeachment memorial was more swift and fierce than those of Fu Yingzhen and Liu Tai.

The censors impeached Zhang Juzheng.

Most of them were dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng's monopoly of power and the overly harsh new policies, and they wanted to slow down the decentralization of power.

Although the tone is harsh.

But the attacks were nothing more than Zhang Juzheng's personal morality, and most of them were just a lot of noise but little action.

Now Yao Bin impeached Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei for manipulating their families and controlling border affairs. In fact, he was targeting the largest business group in the north of the Ming Dynasty - the Shanxi merchants.

Collusion between officials and businessmen will undermine the law and disrupt the country.

It is a serious crime that can cost many officials and businessmen their lives.

present.

The representatives of Shanxi merchants are the Wang family represented by Wang Chonggu and the Zhang family represented by Zhang Siwei in Puzhou, Shanxi.

Moreover, the Zhang and Wang clans are intermarried, and Wang Chonggu is Zhang Siwei's uncle, so the two families are as close as one family.

The fifth year of Longqing.

Under the advocacy of Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei, the Ming Dynasty began to pay tribute and engage in trade with its long-time enemy, Mongolia.

The Ming Dynasty lacked good cattle, sheep and horses, while Mongolia lacked food, cloth, medicine and tea.

Once border trade opens.

Due to their unique geographical advantages, Shanxi merchants rose rapidly and made a fortune. The Zhang and Wang families naturally became the biggest beneficiaries.

Shanxi merchants are well versed in the integration of government and business.

On the one hand, he did business with the Mongols, and on the other hand, he trained his children to become officials.

In recent years.

The number of officials and merchants from Jin increased day by day, and their influence grew.

It is no exaggeration to say that the success story of Shanxi merchants is a history of collusion between officials and businessmen.

Some people said: The merchants of Shanxi exchanged axes for furs and iron nails for sheep legs, and they were like one family with the Mongols. This was an act of disrupting the country.

Some people said: Shanxi merchants rely on the power of court officials and turn public property into private property. They are actually a cancer to merchants all over the world.

Some people also said: Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei advocated peace with the Mongols, not for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, but for their own business.

……

Whenever someone mentions the word "Jin Party", everyone will subconsciously think of Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei.

The people were talking about it, and naturally there were censors in the officialdom who impeached Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei.

However, peaceful trade between Ming and Mongolia is a national policy.

In addition, officials from Jin were very powerful, and many impeachment memorials fell on deaf ears and were suppressed by the court.

Yao Bin, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, chose to impeach the emperor at the banquet because he was afraid that his memorial would be suppressed.

……

As for what Yao Bin said, the two powerful official and business families, Zhang and Wang, were guilty of misappropriating public resources for private purposes, controlling borders, and breaking the law and disrupting the country.

All the officials inside and outside the palace knew about it.

If we really rely on it, we can't really blame Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu.

even.

Zhang Juzheng and the young Wanli also knew that as long as they investigated, they would be able to find out about these crimes.

The ways of making money by combining power and money are basically written in the Ming Dynasty laws.

If no problem is found during the investigation, that will be a bigger problem.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng turned a blind eye to the two powerful official and business families of Zhang and Wang was actually the same as his treatment of the corruption of the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

So that they can support the new policy.

This is a reflection of Zhang Juzheng's overall perspective, and it was actually an act of helplessness on his part.

The current atmosphere in the country is such that it is difficult for him to turn the tide.

In addition, Ma Ziqiang and Zhang Siwei were also relatives by marriage, and his brother was also a businessman. There were dozens of officials involved in the marriages with their origins in Shanxi alone.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't possibly get rid of all these people.

……

Sitting on the throne, young Wanli waved to Feng Bao who was standing beside him.

The latter immediately brought Yao Bin's memorial to the emperor.

The young Wanli took the memorial but did not open it. Instead, he said to Yao Bin, "I have been informed. We will review the matter at tomorrow's regular court session. You may withdraw!"

This matter involves many officials and businessmen.

How to investigate, who to investigate, and what results to find out will have a huge impact on the Ming Dynasty court and northern trade.

Therefore, young Wanli could not answer immediately.

When Yao Bin heard this, he kowtowed again on the hard stone slab without saying a word.

boom! boom! boom!
Blood gushed out of his head, and the scarlet blood flowed down his nose and all over his face.

Little Wanli was so frightened that he stood up.

Although there were officials who made suggestions in the court under the guise of banging their heads against pillars, going on hunger strike, or hanging themselves, they were all just talk.

Yao Bin obviously intended to die in the court.

This kind of stubborn person who is not afraid of death is very scary.

Yao Bin kowtowed three times, then raised his head and said loudly, "Your Majesty, as an official, I humbly request that the jury investigate this matter!"

Little Wanli was afraid that Yao Bin would kowtow to the ground again, so he quickly said, "Yes, yes, I approve!"

The officials already have the right to serve as jurors, so this cannot be considered as usurpation of power.

Just when everyone thought Yao Bin was about to leave, he said, "Your Majesty, according to customary practice, can you order Grand Secretary Zhang Siwei to suspend his duties and order Minister of Justice Wang Chonggu to return to the capital from the border?"

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly, and the Minister of Rites Wang Tong stood up directly.

"How outrageous! Suspension is for officials who have committed serious crimes or need to reflect on themselves. With just a memorial from you, you asked a cabinet minister and a department official to put aside their official duties and suspend their duties to reflect on themselves. This is simply nonsense!" Wang Tong said with a glare.

Yao Bin was not being reckless when he said this.

Instead, he subconsciously believed that Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei's crimes were unforgivable.

At this time.

Zhang Siwei walked quickly from the dining table to the center of the hall.

"Your Majesty, I have been slandered without cause. To prove my innocence, I wish to suspend my official duties and return home. I beg Your Majesty's permission!"

Although Zhang Siwei was unwilling to suspend his duties, he had to do so to prove his innocence after being impeached.

Young Wanli hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhang Juzheng. Seeing that Zhang Juzheng had no intention of standing up to speak, he immediately said, "The Associate Grand Secretary will remain in office for the time being. However, Minister Wang is currently on patrol at the border. We'll discuss this matter after we find out something!"

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was actually very conflicted.

He did not want chaos on the border, he did not want chaos in the court, and he did not want chaos in the northern trade.

However, he was also dissatisfied with the power and monopoly of the Wang and Zhang families in politics and commerce.

After hearing this, Yao Bin retreated.

Then he wiped the blood off his face with the handkerchief he carried with him.

Such things happen.

Naturally, no one wanted to continue attending this book-editing banquet.

Not long after.

After little Wanli left, everyone dispersed.

Yao Bin puffed out his chest, silently reciting Hai Rui's "Memorial on Public Security" in his mind, and strode back to the duty room of Section 6.

After hitting the wall of Shen Nian, he was now willing to sacrifice his life for his reputation.

……

About an hour later.

Zhang Siwei's self-defense memorial was submitted to the palace.

He first said that he was completely impartial during the Longqing Peace Agreement, and promised that he had never been involved in his family's business affairs. He also said that he did not have much contact with officials and businessmen from Jin. Finally, he used Wang Chonggu's words "Merchants and scholars have different methods but the same heart" to show that merchants made great contributions to the court.

The memorial was written flawlessly.

Even if the family was at fault, it had nothing to do with him. He wrote quickly and well.

Shen Nian even wondered if he had anticipated that someone would impeach him, so he had already prepared a self-defense document so that he could take it out in time when someone impeached him.

……

It's almost dusk.

The news that Yao Bin, a member of the Ministry of Personnel, shed blood at the banquet to edit the book and impeached two high-ranking officials in the court quickly spread among the people on the streets.

"Yao Geishi is truly a loyal minister. The Jin merchants are harming the merchants, and the Jin officials are filling the court with cliques and pursuing personal interests. They should have been investigated long ago!"

"Yao Jieshi is truly a role model for us. Those Shanxi merchants often drink and have fun with the Mongols, acting like Mongols themselves, completely forgetting how many of our soldiers have died at their hands!"

"Trade is not right. If those barbarians get food and iron, once they gain power, they will definitely invade our country in the future!"

"It's the big Jin merchants who profit from trade with Mongolia, not the small Jin people. All the money they earn from using the public funds for personal gain should be distributed to the people!"

……

People on the street were talking about it, and most of them supported Yao Bin's bloody remonstration.

Anyone with a discerning eye could quickly see that the news spread so quickly because Yao Bin must have deliberately hired someone to publicize it.

On the one hand, it is to allow public opinion to put pressure on the court.

On the other hand, it was for his own safety to prevent anyone from attacking him.

This is the usual tactic of the officials: to gain courage by drawing on public opinion.

Some Shanxi merchants were powerful enough to manipulate local officials and clerks to work for them. It was not only possible but also common to hire assassins to kill their enemies and disguise their deaths as accidents.

……

At night, the cabinet was on duty.

Young Wanli ordered someone to send Yao Bin's impeachment memorial to the cabinet, and ordered the cabinet to draft a bill.

This matter has already caused a certain impact and must be investigated, but who should investigate and to what extent is a very complicated matter.

Young Wanli was hesitant and sent the memorial to the cabinet.

In fact, the best way is to let the Royal Guards investigate.

However, the factory guards' way of investigating such cases was that they would investigate whatever the higher-ups wanted them to.

At the moment, the young Wanli did not know how far to investigate, so he could only leave the decision-making power of the matter to the cabinet.

After thinking about it, Zhang Juzheng and Lu Diaoyang decided not to control the outcome of the matter. They planned to find out some information and then decide how far to investigate.

It was immediately decided to investigate the case according to normal practice, that is, a joint investigation by the three judicial departments.

Because the Minister of Justice Wang Chonggu was implicated.

This case can only be tried jointly by the Censorate and the Dali Temple, and then a special envoy from the Imperial Household Department can be sent to supervise it.

……

June 26th, early morning.

All officials gathered in front of Huangji Gate.

Shen Nian, as the daily record officer, stood on the southeast side of the throne.

Yao Bin, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, had a bandage on his forehead and stood among the officials with a righteous look on his face.

Soon, the discussion turned to Yao Bin's impeachment memorial.

Zhang Juzheng was the first to step forward and announced loudly, "Your Majesty, according to common practice, the impeachment of Yao Bin, a Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, should be investigated jointly by the Metropolitan Censorate and the Supreme Court, with a special envoy from the Imperial Household Department dispatched to oversee it."

Zhang Juzheng had just finished speaking.

Chen Zan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Yan Qing, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple who had just taken office last month, stood up almost at the same time.

Chen Zan looked at Yan Qing, took a step back, and motioned for Yan Qing to speak first.

Yan Qing was still the Chief Justice of the Nanjing Dali Temple in mid-last month and was preparing to retire.

Because the previous Dali Temple Chief Justice Liu Yiru went home to bury his parents, he temporarily filled this vacancy.

The term of office will not last long.

However, I didn't expect to encounter such a difficult problem as soon as I took over.

Yan Qing said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Dali Temple has always been responsible for reviewing cases. I think we should clarify the priorities and let the Censorate take the lead in investigating this matter, while the Dali Temple will review it."

There is nothing wrong with what Yan Qing said, and it is indeed the case according to common practice.

The main responsibility of the Censorate is to supervise all officials, and the main responsibility of the Dali Temple is to review cases.

The officials all looked at Yan Qing with disdain.

Although it is often like this.

However, when faced with such a difficult matter, Yan Qing openly evaded responsibility, which really showed his lack of responsibility.

Yan Qing doesn't care about these.

He will retire in a year or two, not seeking to achieve anything meritorious, but only to avoid making mistakes.

At this moment, all the officials looked at Chen Zan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

The burden suddenly fell on the Censorate. According to common practice, the Censorate could not escape the primary responsibility.

Yan Qing originally thought that Chen Zan would be very angry if he said this.

Unexpectedly, Chen Zan smiled slightly and said, "I think what Mr. Yan said makes a lot of sense."

"However, this case involves a cabinet minister and a ministry official, and it also affects officials and merchants from our dynasty. This is a serious matter. I suggest that a cabinet minister should take charge of this matter!"

Hearing this, Shen Nian couldn't help but laugh.

Older gingers are more spicy.

Chen Zan's request is reasonable.

This matter involves border military affairs, northern Zhili commerce, a cabinet minister and a minister of justice who is also the commander of the border army. It would be more appropriate for the cabinet to control the matter.

Suddenly, everyone looked at the cabinet's second-in-command, Lu Tiaoyang.

Zhang Juzheng was very busy with the new policy and it was impossible for him to take charge of this case.

"Cough! Cough!"

Lu Diaoyang coughed twice to indicate he wasn't feeling well, then slowly walked out, bowing and saying, "This old minister is willing to share your majesty's worries, but the cabinet is already short of a minister, and official duties are very busy. Furthermore, I am old, so I am truly unable to take charge of this matter."

Lu Diaoyang’s meaning has actually been expressed very clearly.

If he is asked to take charge of this matter, he will submit his resignation tomorrow on the grounds of old age.

There are more than ten resignation letters in the bookcase in his duty room!

Suddenly, the Huangji disciples fell silent.

The Dali Temple said it only had the responsibility to review the case, which was reasonable and well-founded.

The Censorate said that this matter involved a wide range of people and should be led by cabinet ministers, which was reasonable and well-founded.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that due to old age and busy official duties, he was unable to investigate the matter, which was reasonable and well-founded.

At this moment, little Wanli's face turned black.

He didn't expect that these old foxes were all playing Tai Chi, but he couldn't find any reason to complain.

Shen Nian not only saw these old foxes passing the buck.

It can also be seen that in the current Ming Dynasty court, it is not that Zhang Juzheng likes to have the final say, but that once Zhang Juzheng does not have the final say, some things really cannot be done.

this moment.

Yao Bin wanted to step forward and take charge of the investigation.

But his official position was low, and if he were asked to investigate the officials and merchants of Jin, he would be torn to pieces without leaving even a bone.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly.

He was unwilling to get involved in this matter, but he did not expect that the Censorate and the Dali Temple would be so slippery.

The Ming Dynasty still needs him to hold up the sky.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment, then strode out and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is rather complicated. I suggest we discuss it with the cabinet before handing it over to Your Majesty for a final decision."

Little Wanli nodded and said, "Let's follow the Prime Minister's advice."

Immediately, Chang Chao dispersed.

Lean slightly.

Shen Nian walked outside the Huangji Gate, looking at Yao Bin's striding figure, and suddenly thought of a suitable person to investigate this matter.

(End of this chapter)