Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 198: Tea with Snow and Wine with Ice

Oh, vast sky, who is this person?

Oh, heaven, what kind of person is this?

This is a simple question from the Book of Songs. If it is taken out of context, it does not contain any strong emotions.

But in the context of this banner, it is already a blatant insult.

He ordered a land survey but showed mercy to his own property; he promoted household liquidation but showed favoritism to protect his own relatives. What kind of person is this?
Or to put it more bluntly, this is not even a human being.

Or is it the difference between deliberately hanging banners where the emperor is walking and pointing at him and insulting him?
This is no longer an ordinary scholar!

There was no need for the emperor to speak at all. The dragon boat slowly docked at the unplanned Wuqing Hexi Posthouse on the pretext of needing a brief repair.

The officials of the six ministries attached great importance to it, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department gave important instructions, the governor of Shuntian, Hu Zhili, and the prefect, Wang Zhiyuan, fully realized the importance of the situation, and quickly started working, together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, they went all out to "invite" the scholars over as quickly as possible.

……

"Four Gates Society?"

In a room on the second floor of the post station, Zhu Yijun sat on a chair covered with layer upon layer of silk and fur, and asked Hu Zhili in surprise.

Before the emperor summoned them, he had to first confirm the dangerousness of these scholars. It was necessary to strip and search them, confirm their identities, and conduct a simple interrogation.

Therefore, officials from the six ministries, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Household Department and others, regardless of whether they were interested or not, all gathered in the lobby of the post station downstairs to hold the trial.

Only the Governor of Shuntian came upstairs to make a brief report.

The eunuchs and secretaries in the room were all watching the emperor in astonishment. Xu Jie, who was standing next to the emperor, raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard Hu Zhili's words.

Facing the emperor's questioning, Hu Zhili stood respectfully opposite the Eight Immortals Square Table, facing the door, and replied, "Your Majesty, this is an association founded by a wanted fugitive named Liang Ruyuan."

"The seven scholars who spread the evil rumors today are all subordinates of the Four Gates Society."

"It's a pity that Liang Ruyuan was not caught."

Hu Zhili did not panic when faced with the troubles that occurred within the country, but remained calm and did his best to deal with the aftermath.

Governor Hu was a Jinshi graduate and started his career at the grassroots level. When he was the magistrate of Baoning Prefecture in Sichuan, he had a reputation for "exposing and arresting traitors and enforcing the law strictly."

After that, he worked in the central government and local areas for decades. Although his reputation was not widespread, his quality was extremely good, especially in Sichuan and Hexi areas, where he was almost as famous as Hai Rui. Now that the central government has gone through several rounds of trials and tribulations, more and more such people have emerged.

After hearing what Hu Zhili said, Zhu Yijun felt that it was expected. The association founded by the wanted criminal was indeed not founded by ordinary scholars.

However, the name Liang Ruyuan seems a little familiar.

Zhu Yijun thought about it for a moment but couldn't remember it, so he said, "Mr. Hu, tell me more about it."

Hu Zhili had already prepared a draft in his mind before going upstairs.

When the emperor asked him about it, he answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty, Liang Ruyuan was born in a wealthy family in Yongfeng County, Jiangxi Province. He passed the imperial examination and became a juren. Later, he went astray, abandoned the imperial examination, and indulged in evil teachings and lewd ways."

"Around the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, he founded the Juhetang in the clan to collect taxes and rent. In the 38th year of the Jiajing reign, he led his clan members to resist taxes, killing and injuring six officials including Wu Shanwu, and was sentenced to death by hanging."

"Afterwards, Hu Zongxian went to the Jiangxi Governor's Office to plead for mercy, and Jiangxi Governor He Qian privately spared him from the gallows and sent him to Guizhou instead. But even so, Liang Ruyuan did not go to Guizhou and ran away halfway."

Hu Zhili paused halfway through his words, giving the emperor time to remember and react.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but feel emotional.

The strength of local clans is truly reflected in all aspects.

The tax resistance mentioned by Hu Zhili was very common in the Ming Dynasty. After all, there were so many levies and taxes that if one really wanted to abide by the law and pay taxes, life would be a mess.

Because of this, it was common for Liang Ruyuan, as a local clan, to have conflicts with the government. Such conflicts could be gentle negotiations or fierce fights.

Again, the outcome of this incident is very common, or even typical.

The local big families attacked heavily, and the ordinary county and government offices could only suffer in silence.

Just like Liang Ruyuan, after he killed six officials, not only was his sentence commuted from hanging to exile, he didn't even have to serve his actual sentence.

So, what will the colleagues of the deceased think, and what will they do when they encounter tax resistance from the big families next time they collect taxes? That is a matter of opinion.

Zhu Yijun couldn't tell who the disadvantaged group was for a moment.

Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Jie behind the emperor suddenly interrupted and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard a little about this matter. The so-called tax resistance is Liang Ruyuan's fraud of the emperor's wood and silver."

Zhu Yijun turned around and glanced at Xu Jie.

Imperial wood refers to the wood purchased for the emperor. In "Jin Ping Mei", Ximen Qing discovered that officials had embezzled imperial wood.

The money used to purchase the imperial wood was deducted from local taxes - officials from other government offices were sent to purchase various wood materials, including imperial wood, and they were given silver from their original locations to deduct from local taxes.

Logically speaking, taxes should not be levied on the people again.

Then the reason why Liang Ruyuan resisted taxation is worth discussing.

Apparently, it was the local government's additional levy of royal wood tax that triggered the big family to which Liang Ruyuan belonged to oppose the government.

The laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty were very rigid, especially in terms of legal provisions, which were extremely complete.

Since it is illegal to collect taxes, how can it be considered tax resistance?

The laws of the Ming Dynasty were very flexible, especially in terms of discretion.

The government was at fault first, and the scholar rose up in resistance. He accidentally killed someone during the conflict, so how could he be guilty? Not only was he innocent, he was also called a Confucian hero!
So, when Xu Jie said this, was he simply adding the cause and effect, or was he trying to exonerate Liang Ruyuan?

Zhu Yijun had his doubts in his heart, but he did not point them out. He just gestured for Hu Zhili to continue.

Hu Zhili glanced at Xu Jie with some dissatisfaction.

Then he withdrew his gaze and continued, "After escaping the border garrison sentence, he sneaked into the capital under the alias He Xinyin, and then founded the Four Gates Guild Hall. Under the name of the Four Gates Guild, he gathered together to spread evil teachings and lewd ways..."

Halfway through the sentence.

The emperor looked as if he had suddenly realized something and said "Oh".

"Oh! He Xinyin!" Zhu Yijun interrupted Hu Zhili, turned to look at Xu Jie, and sneered, "No wonder Master Xu 'heard of something'."

He wasn't quite sure who Liang Ruyuan was, but when he heard the name He Xinyin, he immediately recognized it.

It turns out to be a pseudonym.

If it was He Xinyin, then it was no wonder that Hu Zhili kept talking about heresy; his philosophy really deserved the title.

He Xinyin advocated that the principles of ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, and brothers cannot reflect the "ultimate goodness" of human beings, only "friends" can.

Neither father nor son, nor ruler nor subject, have been able to jump out of the ordinary narrow barriers. Only the friendship between friends is a friendship that is acquired and then innate. It can be said to be the ultimate in friendship, the ultimate embodiment of social relations, and the foundation for people to achieve self-consciousness and transcendence.

Since friends are so important, how can we be close to friends, that is, how can we put it into practice?
That is to break away from ordinary status and establish a friendship that transcends status. People with similar ideals should come together to make friends based on common aspirations. He calls it a "meeting."

Different ideas can bring together different "associations" to govern the world.

All the families of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans in the world are hidden in the association, and scholars, farmers, merchants, artisans, and even the emperor are just different identities and professions in the "association", without distinction of high and low - of course, not all identities can be included in it, like the nobles. He Xinyin believes that the nobles are lazy, do not know the difference between grains, have neither talent nor morals, and cannot be considered as professionals, but just parasites, and are not qualified to join any association.

This theory is regarded as heresy and is treated lightly.

If there are signs of someone trying to dethrone the emperor, any government official with a submissive heart will consciously arrest him.

But.

After this kind of Confucian hero has attracted a certain amount of power, his social relations cannot be simple even if he wants to. Just like the heroes Shao Yi and Fang Yushi were secretly Gao Gong's minions, after He Xinyin gathered power, someone also tried to win him over.

Lu Guang, a disciple of He Xinyin, was Xu Jie's lover.

Lan Daoxing, a Taoist priest recruited by He Xinyin, was the fuse for the overthrow of Yan Song. The immortal words translated by Lan Daoxing to Emperor Shizong were "Song is treacherous and Jie is loyal". People all said that it was Xu Jie who instructed them to do so.

The government was naturally wary of such a vague situation, so they turned a blind eye to He Xinyin. After all, it was impossible for the emperor to know every detail of the affairs of the world.

As for Xu Jie, who was suspected of holding an umbrella for him back then, his identity is probably not as simple as just hearing a few things about him.

Faced with the emperor's sneer, Xu Jie's eyelids twitched.

The emperor clearly looked like he had no idea what was going on, so he just took the opportunity to say something subtle, as he had done over the years.

Who would have known that the emperor would suddenly change to his current clear expression in the blink of an eye.

Xu Jie quickly clarified: "Your Majesty, I only heard of him when I was assisting the government in the cabinet. It has been more than ten years since I last heard of him."

It is not considered taboo to just casually mention the cause and effect, but if you insist on sticking your neck out to speak for others, that would be really rude.

Zhu Yijun heard this but remained silent.

He turned his head and looked at Hu Zhili: "Then why did this person lead the members to insult me?"

In the field of public opinion, the more powerful people are, the weaker they are, and the weaker people are, the stronger they are.

The censor Tan Yao could only slander the emperor secretly in the court in order to arouse the resonance of some people; but these scholars in the opposition could criticize the emperor to his face, and the literati would naturally feel a sense of identification; if it were the common people who were the ones to criticize, most of the public opinion in the world would directly lean towards the latter.

Therefore, there are different ways and methods to deal with insults from different people.

Hu Zhili bowed respectfully and confessed his crime, then replied: "Your Majesty, according to the confessions of several criminals..."

He paused, then said hesitantly, "They all claimed that they saw the imperial farms being lawless and the relatives being arrogant, so they were indignant for a moment and did such things."

This is of course an embellishment. We cannot simply repeat the insults against the emperor word for word.

Zhu Yijun curled his lips upon hearing this: "Really?"

It would be fine if he was just an angry young man. He would be willing to endure the scolding. After all, although his vision is limited, at least his stance is correct.

But judging from his posture, he doesn't look like a young scholar who is outraged by righteous indignation.

Just saying that this precise blockage on the road that must be taken does not seem to be a pure impulse.

After all, the emperor's whereabouts were not something that could be made public at any time.

Hu Zhili looked hesitant, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Let's go. I'll go down and ask in person."

After saying that, he slowly stood up and walked out of the room.

Everyone hurriedly followed and followed closely behind.

……

In the lobby of the inn on the first floor.

The original postmen were driven away and replaced by the armored and bladed Jinyiwei and Dongchang eunuchs who were stationed at various important places.

All the tables and chairs in the lobby were vacated.

A group of officials in red robes looked at him with unfriendly expressions.

Wang Zongyi and Wang Xijue blocked the people from the Imperial Household Department and the Embroidered Uniform Guard behind them and took the initiative to question them.

Xu Guo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, personally recorded the case files. He Luowen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was a former chief academic officer of the Imperial College, was heartbroken and could not bear to watch it.

Six scholars were surrounded in the middle, with different expressions, some calm, some worried, and some high-spirited.

The seventh scholar knelt in front of Wang Zhiyuan, his face bruised and swollen with no expression on his face. His green gauze skirt was torn to shreds, revealing his inner garment.

He opened his mouth to speak: "Sir..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Wang Zhiyuan's cold snort. He held a piece of gauze skirt rag in his hand and interrupted with a sullen face: "I don't have a son like you!"

The colleagues looked straight ahead, pretending not to care about the scene, but they had strange expressions on their faces and could hardly hold back.

Gauze skirts were very common among scholars.

Even Long Yangzi, or male nymphomaniacs, were not uncommon - as long as they could pass on the family line, let alone passing on skirts, even scholars who used sticks to communicate were accepted by the mainstream.

But no matter how common it is, it is often viewed with contempt, and the word "prodigal" is inevitable.

In particular, Wang Zhiyuan has always prided himself on his strict family traditions in the literati circle, setting rules and regulations and personally serving as the godfather.

Unexpectedly, after a tour, he would encounter his son coming before the emperor in a gauze skirt. The Wang family was completely disgraced.

Wang Xiangjin's eyes were swollen and he could only half open his eyes and tried to explain: "Sir! I am speaking up for the people of Chixian. Is that wrong?"

"Now the central government has issued an order to measure the land and clear the households, but it has granted special favors to those who are close to the emperor. This is two systems for one thing. Who in the world can accept this?"

"And the person who is in charge of this matter, isn't he afraid of being known as a cruel person..."

The voice just fell.

Snapped!
The palm wind whistled, and another slap sounded!

Wang Xiangjin was suddenly hit, his upper body lost balance, and he fell to the ground, his words stopping abruptly.

Seeing that his son did not know the seriousness of the situation, Wang Zhiyuan finally shut up, and his anxious mood was slightly relieved.

He asked Xu Guo, "Minister Xu, this criminal is extremely mad. To avoid offending His Majesty later, you might as well put him in jail first."

Xu Guo naturally understood Wang Zhiyuan's thoughts and was happy to sell this good thing.

He nodded slowly, turned his head and ordered his attendants, "Come here, escort the criminal to the capital!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Zhiyuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and bowed to Xu Guo to show his appreciation.

After this incident, although the emperor did not say it explicitly, he must have been furious at this moment.

It is said that when the emperor is angry, blood will flow and the oars will float. What’s more, insulting the monarch or father is a matter that should be punished by slow slicing.

The son's only chance of survival was to appease the emperor's wrath a little - that was why he was beaten until he vomited blood, that was why his clothes were torn into tatters, that was why he was sent directly to prison.

Otherwise, if he fails to please the emperor... he has followed the emperor in killing so many people these days, and today the consequences will probably fall on his own son.

Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian looked at each other.

Although based on their understanding of the emperor, the two men would not be so furious, let alone execute him without teaching him a lesson.

But since Wang Zongyi and Wang Xijue had pushed them aside, there was naturally no reason for them to get closer, so they just let these civil servants do what they wanted.

Just as the people around him were holding Wang Xiangjin's arms and were about to carry him out.

"The crime has not been convicted yet. What kind of criminal is this? Maybe he is right to scold me. Let him go."

A voice came down the stairs.

Everyone looked up and saw the emperor appear at the stairs, walking down the steps.

All the officials in the hall immediately restrained their unnecessary expressions.

Zhang Hong and Jiang Keqian immediately went to the stairs and waited with their heads bowed.

The guards still looked straight ahead. The people who had just held up the man put Wang Xiangjin down and stood back outside the door.

Wang Zhiyuan felt a tightness in his heart when he saw his son being thrown back to the ground.

He glanced at the emperor inconspicuously, but the emperor's tone and expression at the moment seemed very gentle, and it was impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic or really didn't care.

"His Majesty."

"His Majesty."

All the court officials, eunuchs, and even scholars involved in the case bowed and saluted in unison.

Wang Xijue carefully observed the emperor's expression.

Unlike monks, Taoist priests and eunuchs who were killed at will, although the scholars in front of him had also made some mistakes, it would be better to let them off the hook.

However, Wang Xijue didn't know whether the emperor was angry at the moment, so he didn't know how to plead.

The Minister of Rites Wang Zongyi and the Vice Minister of Rites He Luowen looked at each other, both looking hesitant.

We should advise the emperor to show mercy. I always feel that it is unreasonable for the emperor to suffer such injustice for no reason.

Don't try to persuade me. The emperor's killing of scholars will also bring him a fatal reputation.

Wang Zhiyuan sighed inwardly, but spoke first: "Your Majesty, these seven people are the scholars who violated the government and made irresponsible remarks about the emperor and father on the river bank just now."

Zhu Yijun walked down the stairs slowly, taking in everyone's expressions and reactions.

Otherwise, why do people say that students have an innate advantage in the public opinion field?

Even though they scolded him in person, these court officials still looked as if they were afraid that he would kill the scholars in a rage.

No wonder He Xinyin ran away on his own, leaving behind a few students.

Zhu Yijun thought to himself and waved his hand, signaling all the court officials to stand up.

Then he looked at the scholars who were performing the ceremony and said in a surprised tone, "You all pointed at my nose and scolded me, now you should be polite."

Except for Wang Xiangjin who was beaten by his father, the rest of the scholars were standing intact.

As excited as the scholars were on the embankment before, they were now as panicked as before.

Several people looked at each other, not knowing whether they should stand up or bow.

At this time, a scholar suddenly stepped forward and replied loudly: "Your Majesty, we are only giving advice in person. Although it is unpleasant to the ear, it is definitely not an insult to the king or father!"

This attitude is well captured.

Compared to the charge of insulting the emperor or father, righteous indignation and remonstrance are obviously more appropriate and more likely to gain support from the scholars.

Zhu Yijun smiled indifferently: "Are you a student of the Imperial Academy?"

Tai students, especially young ones, are most likely to criticize the current situation when their minds are hot-headed.

We need to carefully distinguish how many people are taking advantage of the situation and how many are being used as pawns.

The scholar replied in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, I am Zhao Nandou, a student who passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Wanli reign and entered the Imperial Academy to study the year before last."

Zhu Yijun frowned.

Zhao Nandou, this name also sounds a bit familiar.

After reminiscing for a moment, he finally remembered and asked curiously, "What is your relationship with Zhao Nanxing, the former Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel's Examination Office?"

Zhao Nandou paused and answered honestly, "Your Majesty, the former Langzhong Zhao Nanxing of the Ministry of Personnel's Examination Department is my elder brother."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh, it seems they all have followers.

Zhao Nanxing, one of the Donglin gentlemen, why was he the former Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel? Because he was one of the people who asked to retire during the Southern Suburbs Heaven Sacrifice, and now he has returned home.

Donglin's elder brother left because of the Nanjiao incident, and left behind his younger brother, a member of the Simen Society, to hold up banners and give advice. They are truly a family of loyal heroes.

The Four Gates Society... the Donglin Party... and even the later Fushe.

Regardless of the motives of these people, the formation of grassroots political associations in the Ming Dynasty and the trend of opposition parties interfering in politics were becoming more and more obvious.

Under the premise of changes in the economic foundation, it seems that something elusive is being catalyzed.

However, this process came to an abrupt end in history, so that Zhu Yijun didn't know whether it was good or bad at this time.

We need to be more cautious and observe in the future.

Zhu Yijun's thoughts were scattered, but soon stopped.

He looked at Wang Zhiyuan again, pointed at Wang Xiangjin, and said casually: "Is this the son of Wang Qing's family?"

Wang Zhiyuan looked a little unhappy, and nodded with difficulty: "This is my third son."

Zhu Yijun nodded.

In fact, he had some impression of Wang Xiangjin, who was a rare agronomist in history who loved nurseries.

The "apple" native to China was named after him.

Moreover, after the Qing army entered the pass, Wang Xiangjin did not try to get a job as an official. Instead, he stayed at home and farmed, living in seclusion until the Shunzhi period.

In addition to his love of forming associations, he was also a man of integrity - he had participated in all kinds of organizations, including the Donglin Party, the Poetry and Literature Society, and the Lianxiang Tuan. Well, we have to add the Simen Society in front of him.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xiangjin with a gloomy face and threatened: "If I heard correctly, Master Wang just said that Wang Jingzhao was 'cruel'? Why didn't you say the word 'aiding the tyrant' at the same time?"

Wang Zhiyuan was about to say something but stopped himself, turned around and glared at his son.

Wang Xiangjin was stared at by the two men and shuddered subconsciously.

He hesitated for a long time before whispering, "Your Majesty's civil and military achievements are unmatched by those of Jie and Zhou."

"I just saw and heard about the injustice between the imperial farm and the relatives of the emperor, and I was angry that Your Majesty was unfair and my father stood by and watched. That's why I discussed the matter and advised Your Majesty to treat them equally."

Wang Xiangjin's voice became lower and lower, and after he finished speaking, he simply buried his head in his chest.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xiangjin expressionlessly for a long while without saying a word.

The imperial farm is the emperor’s private property.

It has the dual attributes of official property and private property - this is based on the fundamental starting point that the emperor is the master of the world and has both public and private natures.

However, under the trend of thought that spontaneously formed among the people, this foothold, or more accurately, the emperor's personal attributes, was being questioned.

In other words, the intellectual community is reflecting on it, intending to revise and even further improve it - is it a public world or a family world, this is the question.

What followed was the imperial farms, which had the strongest private property attributes, and which were subjected to the most severe torture before and after the Chenghua period.

The most famous sentence was what Grand Secretary Shang Lu once said to Emperor Xianzong: The emperor regards the world as his home, so why does he need the imperial farm?

So this is a common question.

It’s just that I chose to take advantage of this critical juncture to make a fuss about it.

Of course, Zhu Yijun was more curious about how to make use of the topic.

There was silence for a long while.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xiangjin and Zhao Nandou and asked seriously, "What a good way to deal with things based on facts, what a good way to treat everyone equally."

"Then there is one thing I don't understand."

"When you say treat everyone equally, do you mean that I should show some leniency to the wealthy and powerful families, just like I treat the imperial estates and relatives, or do you mean..."

"Or do you hope that I will treat the imperial relatives in the same way as I did during my tour of Shuntian Prefecture, without any mercy under the law?"

"In other words, do you, the Four Sects, have a problem with the land transfer, or do you have a problem with my private property?"

(End of this chapter)