Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Huang Lijie's remarks made the Donglin Party members realize that the eunuch faction was starting to vie for the right to interpret scriptures.

On this point, they must resolutely crack down.

Ni Yuanlu, the Junior Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, said:

"Your Majesty, the book 'Essentials of Three Reigns' was completed by the traitor Huang Lijie, who was listed as the chief editor."

"How can such a sycophant be expected to discuss history?"

"Your Majesty, please expel this man immediately!"

They directly demanded that Huang Lijie be expelled from the lecture hall.

Such a strong attitude surprised not only Zhu Youjian, but also the court officials, who had not expected Ni Yuanlu to be so fierce.

Huang Lijie, who was asked to be expelled, turned pale. He never expected to be treated like this even today.

He was momentarily unsure whether to feel ashamed or angry, and slowly raised his arm, about to remove his hat to apologize.

Zhu Youjian certainly didn't want him to do that, and he didn't want to have to choose between the Donglin Party and the eunuch party.

Before the other party members could react and agree, he decisively rebuked them:

"The Essential Records of Three Reigns were compiled by imperial decree of the late emperor."

"Because it was not perfect, I have ordered it to be rewritten as 'Chronicles of Three Reigns' and compiled separately."

"Does Ni Qing not know about this?"

How can you speak such nonsense?

They reprimanded Ni Yuanlu for speaking recklessly and told her not to make irresponsible remarks.

Seeing this, Huang Lijie felt reassured, knowing that the emperor was still protecting him.

His raised arm slowly fell, and he no longer considered taking off his hat to apologize.

Ni Yuanlu said, her neck stiff:

"The 'Three Dynasties' records, which allowed eunuchs to wield power and historians to write their own works, are unprecedented in history and should be banned and destroyed."

"The officials who compiled the essential texts were all sycophants and petty men."

This sweeping list doesn't just include one person; Yang Jingchen, Meng Shaoyu, Zeng Chuqing, and others were all vice presidents. Even Chen Renxi was among them, having served as a compiler for a period of time.

Zhu Youjian's use of ambiguity in the "Essential Records of Three Reigns" was precisely to protect these people.

Unexpectedly, Ni Yuanlu brought it up again today, demanding that they be held accountable.

Zhu Youjian was very angry about this, because he did not want factional strife to reignite in the court.

However, many members of the Donglin Party were delighted, feeling they had seen an opportunity to completely overthrow the eunuch faction.

The fact that Yang Jingchen is in charge of the imperial examination this year indicates that the emperor has already regarded him as a secondary minister.

If nothing unexpected happens, this person will most likely succeed Han Kuang as the Grand Secretary.

The Donglin Party members did not want to see this situation; they wanted to expel all sycophants and sycophants.

Ni Yuanlu's criticism at the lecture gave them an opportunity.

Lin Han, the Director of the Imperial Academy, and others echoed this sentiment, believing that the "Essential Records of Three Reigns" should be thoroughly investigated.

The court officials knew the emperor's intention to suppress factional strife, and they were also aware of his methods. They didn't immediately echo his sentiments, but they observed the emperor closely—

If the emperor shows weakness on this matter, they don't mind purging the eunuch faction and making more official positions vacant in the court.

Zhu Youjian could only be thankful that these people had launched their attack during the imperial lectures, and that it was extremely sudden.

If this happened in the imperial court, with officials from the Censorate and mid-level officials who favored the Donglin faction echoing their sentiments, it would be far more troublesome than it is now.

At this moment, looking at these officials, Zhu Youjian stared intently at Lin Han and asked him:

"I heard that Lu Wanling submitted a memorial to the Imperial Academy, referring to Wei Zhongxian's compilation of the 'Essential Records of Three Reigns' as 'the scribes of the eunuchs who edited the Spring and Autumn Annals'."

Where does this saying come from?

Lin Han was extremely angry, feeling that this was a disgrace to the Imperial Academy, and said indignantly: "These sycophants and supporters insult the sages and flatter the wicked, and are the chief sinners of Confucianism."

"He has been classified as a third-degree traitor and sentenced to beheading."

"Why does Your Majesty need to use the words of such a person? It only offends your ears."

Clearly, he harbored deep resentment towards Lu Wanling for forcing him to leave, as his life was truly in danger at the time.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, refraining from quoting Lu Wanling again, but instead asked his ministers:
"The compilation of the 'Three Dynasties Essentials' involved cutting and editing historical materials, and tilting the content of this book in the direction of the virtuous and the wicked."

"When Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, he wrote what he wrote and omitted what he omitted, which is known as the Spring and Autumn Annals style of writing."

"What are the similarities and differences between these two approaches?"

The courtiers were nearly furious when they heard the comparison between the compilation of the "Three Dynasties' Essential Records" and Confucius's editing of the "Spring and Autumn Annals".

Apart from those who participated in the compilation of the "Three Dynasties' Essential Records", other upright officials felt that the "Three Dynasties' Essential Records" was an insult to their ears and never imagined that it would one day be compared with the "Spring and Autumn Annals".

Liu Zongzhou, Qian Qianyi, and other officials voiced their opposition, while ministers such as Han Kuang and Yuan Keli also urged the emperor to retract his statement.

Zhu Youjian chuckled inwardly upon seeing this, because his suggestion had shifted the focus of compiling the "Essential Records of Three Reigns" to academic pursuits.

He pretended to be receptive to instruction and asked the assembled officials:
"Then tell me, what is the Spring and Autumn Annals style of writing?"

"Write when you need to write, trim when you need to trim, but how exactly should you trim the pen?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi responded:
Du Yu wrote in his preface to the Zuo Zhuan: "There are five reasons why the Spring and Autumn Annals is used as an example."

"Subtle yet manifest, clear yet obscure, graceful yet complete, thorough yet untainted, punishing evil and encouraging good."

"The style of writing in the Spring and Autumn Annals should be learned from Dong Hu's straightforward writing, where calligraphy does not conceal anything, and praise or criticism is expressed in a single word."

These words smoothly addressed Zhu Youjian's question, which greatly pleased him, and he praised them, saying:

"Mr. Qian is truly proficient in history. He must contribute his efforts to the annotation of the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"The style of writing in the Spring and Autumn Annals should be straightforward and not concealed, yet it should also be both explicit and implicit, punishing evil and encouraging good."

As he spoke, he gave an example:
"For example, in a certain year and month, Zhang San murdered his master."

"If this event has historical value, it must be remembered, and relevant news media should also report on it."

"But how did Zhang San kill his master? What weapon did he use? How did he dispose of the body after the murder? How did he conceal his whereabouts?"

“These don’t need to be described in detail. They can be kept somewhat vague to prevent people from imitating the crimes.”

"This is a way to punish evil and encourage good, which is conducive to social stability."

This suggestion was refreshing to the court officials, who unanimously agreed with the emperor.

Clearly, they are very concerned about their own safety.

The unanimous opposition to the emperor earlier pales in comparison to this personal issue.

They all agreed that this was a subtle and selective writing style, and that historical records and newspaper reports should all be written this way.

In contrast, the "Three Dynasties Essentials" is a counterexample because it does not employ the Spring and Autumn Annals style, but rather selectively edits historical materials.

Ni Yuanlu said:

"The evil of the 'Three Dynasties Essentials' is that it does not record things directly but makes judgments, and even falsely accuses the late emperor and forges imperial documents."

“Such practices are blatant abuse of power and manipulation of the pen; I believe they must be banned and destroyed.”

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:
"The 'Essential Records of Three Reigns' should indeed be banned and destroyed."

"I have ordered all ministers to compile the 'Chronicles of Three Reigns,' with all content based on original sources, and nothing should be omitted or altered."

"This is the proper attitude for studying history, rather than cutting and pasting historical materials to achieve a certain goal."

"This method of historical research, which originated from Song Dynasty Confucian scholars, should be completely abandoned."

"The practice of cutting out or even fabricating historical materials in order to conform to the ethical principles in the scriptures is no longer suitable for this era."

They targeted the school of thought on moral philosophy and history, aiming to overturn all the historical research methods left by Song Dynasty Confucian scholars. (End of Chapter)