I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 757 It was the autumn of the fourth year of Wanli

"Master, I know you look down on Zhang Siwei, but I have to admire him. He is not only versatile, but also capable and extraordinary.

A little sunshine will make it shine. He made a humble cultural construction committee flourish.

The New Culture Movement was a turbulent one. Simplified characters, punctuation marks, vernacular Chinese, and operas that kept up with the times and praised the new era were all promoted under his leadership.

There is also national education and women's education.
Mr. Zhuowu (Li Zhi) is known as the founder of dialectical materialism and the guide of Wanli's new ideas, but what Zhang Siwei has done in recent years far exceeds what Mr. Zhuowu did in the ten years since he founded his school. His influence has not only shocked the country, but also spread far overseas.

Not only did Zhang Siwei make the above-mentioned political achievements, he also presided over the Jiming Temple Debate, the Hanshan Courtyard Debate, the Nanjing University Debate, the Jiangnan University Debate, and the Southeast University Debate. These several major debates directly crushed Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism to dust and buried it in a deep pit, never to stir up any waves again.

Many Confucian scholars and celebrities were influenced by him, and they began to correct the mistakes of the ancient Confucianists of the Spring and Autumn Period, consciously combined Confucianism with dialectical materialism, and carried out a complete transformation of Confucianism, establishing the so-called new Confucianism that was adapted to the new era of Wanli.

Master, Zhang Siwei deserves our respect for what he has done! "

Hai Rui stroked his beard and said, "When the time is right, great scholars will come to debate the classics, correct the violations, and make the king's rule clear."

Shu Youliang chuckled, "Yes, that's why Zhang Siwei saw through those pedantic scholars very well. After some tricks, he made them obediently defend the emperor and whitewash the emperor's new policies."

Hai Rui sneered, "Without the emperor's previous thunderous measures, those sour scholars would not be willing to change their allegiance."

Shu Youliang smiled even more happily, revealing a few yellow front teeth, "Master, I know you played a big role in this. You were the one who presided over the three major cases in Jiangnan.

But after playing the white-faced role, someone else has to play the red-faced role. Zhang Siwei played the red-faced role well, so Jian was favored by the emperor.

Zhang Siwei was directly mentioned together with Zhang Xiang, and then he was given the title of Advisory Bachelor just like you, sir, and he was also admitted to the Advisory Bureau. Tsk tsk, Zhang Siwei was so happy with this respect that his nose was bubbling and his ancestors were so happy that they were overjoyed. "

Hai Rui said softly, "Your Majesty is in charge of the country and is not picky about talent. Although I look down on Zhang Siwei in my heart, I have to sigh that your Majesty is wise and discerning in employing him."

"Master, this time you and Li Huzhou are going to Beijing together to attend the meeting of the Advisory Bureau. It is rumored that both of you will stay in the capital to serve."

Hai Rui's eyes suddenly became very sharp.

"Where did you hear this rumor?"

Shu Youliang chuckled and replied complacently: "Master, mice have their own ways, snakes have their own ways, and I naturally have my own ways. Master, I think this rumor is not groundless."

"Shu Gong, please tell me your opinion."

"Master is bullying me again, hehe. Master, you and Lord Li have been in Jiangsu and Shanghai for too long."

Hai Rui sighed, "Yes, I have been in charge of Suzhou for five years. Li Yuanjiang has been here since Shanghai was established as a county. He was the magistrate of Shanghai, the prefect of Songjiang, and now the magistrate of Huzhou. It has been at least thirteen years.

We have indeed stayed too long, and it is time to move on.”

Shu Youliang looked at Hai Rui and asked with concern, "Master, even someone as dull as me can guess it, and there are many more people in the government and the public who can guess it.

It's just that there is only one position for each person in the central government. You and Lord Li are being promoted to the central government, and the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Wang Yi'e, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Cao Bangfu, and the Governor-General of Shandong, Huo Ji, are all being promoted to the capital. How can there be so many positions to accommodate so many Bodhisattvas and gods?"

Hai Rui glared at him and said, "You are just a commoner, why do you worry so much? You worry more than the Minister of Personnel Fang Fengshi."

Shu Youliang immediately replied: "I dare not forget my country even though I am in a low position!"

Hai Rui chuckled, "Since Lord Shu has not forgotten his concern for the country, please take some time out tomorrow to go to the Shanghai Municipal Court to observe the trial."

Shu Youliang's eyes lit up, "The Xiaobaicai case?"

"Is this all you remember?"

"The cabbage is so juicy, I can't remember the others."

The next morning, the gate of the Shanghai Huzhou Court was crowded with people. Thousands of people crowded on the street in front of the gate, tiptoeing and leaning their heads to look towards the gate of the court.

The Huzhou Court and the Shanghai Court share the same office.

The Siliyuan building is a typical pavilion-style building, with three doors in the middle, left and right, and courtyard walls on both sides, with red doors and red walls.

Looking over the overhanging eaves of the red gate, you can see the palace-style roof with flying eaves and brackets.

Marcelo and Leon, escorted by Condorcet and four other followers, made their way through the crowd with difficulty and arrived at the door, which was even more crowded.

Dozens of police officers were guarding the left gate to maintain order.

From time to time, someone would squeeze out of the crowd holding a piece of paper, hand the paper to the police, and be let in after inspection.

Leon, who understood official language, asked the two people, then turned to Marcelo and said, "They said that there were too many people who wanted to go in to observe the trial, and the Court of Justice only issued 300 observation papers and 50 press papers. Only those who hold these two papers can go in to observe the trial."

Marcelo was disappointed. "Well, then we can't go in and watch the trial?"

"I remember that José helped us apply for a trial permit last night. But when he woke up in the morning, he went to see Manuel and didn't tell him whether he had done it.

At the time, I thought he was talking about something else and didn’t pay much attention to it. Now I know that the trial observation paper he was talking about was the pass to enter the Judicial Court to observe the trial.”

"What should we do now? Should we send someone to look for Jose?"

"We don't know where he can find Manuel. We are not familiar with Shanghai, so where can we find him?"

Just when Marcelo and Leon were at a loss, a man who looked a little wretched came over. He was in his forties, wearing a blue shirt, black pants, and a pair of cloth shoes. His hair, which was wrapped in a net scarf, was a little gray.

A pair of small eyes rolled around, and he smiled: "Do you two want to go in and watch the trial?"

Leon looked at him suspiciously, "Yes."

"I have a Class A Observation Certificate, so I can bring two people in."

Leon became even more suspicious and looked the man up and down, "Are you a scalper? How much money do you want?"

The man smiled even more happily, revealing two yellow teeth, "You, a Portuguese, actually know the new characteristics of Shanghai, scalpers.

It’s free. I’ll take you in for free.”

Leon looked at the smiling man and felt that he looked shifty, so he became more alert.

"If someone is nice to you without any reason, he is not a good person." Leon couldn't remember the whole saying, so he could only compromise.

"Hey, you Portuguese are really interesting. I saw you yesterday in the government hall of Huzhou. You were received by Li Sanjiang, the governor of Lizhou. It was Qu Changshi, the governor of Huzhou, who brought you there, right?"

Leon's eyes lit up. This all made sense. He asked in surprise, "Do you know Jose?"

"Jose He Fengxian, of course I know him. This guy is simply a Ming Dynasty person in Portuguese skin. In order to get ahead, he actually wants to worship Lu Yong as his godfather.

His name is He Fengxian, who dares to be his adoptive father? He still hasn't learned Chinese studies well. He wants to ask my master to be his teacher. Doesn't he know that my master's school is the most difficult to enter in the world?

But this guy is sweet-talking and good at handling things. I like him. Last night, he asked people everywhere for your two people to watch the trial. Xiao Baicai's case was so sensational that the trial papers and reporter papers were snapped up three or five days ago. Qu Changshi had no choice but to meet me in the end.

My name is Shu Youliang, and I am the manager of Hai Rui, the governor of Jiangsu Province." Shu Youliang talked a lot and finally revealed his identity.

Leon was surprised and delighted, "Mr. Hai's steward? I know that the person Jose admires most is Mr. Hai."

"Okay, we've got the numbers. Let's go in. The case is about to start. As agreed, I can only take you two in. You four followers, find a place to wait."

Shu Youliang walked in front. Leon said a few words to Condorcet and the other three, then pulled Marcelo and hurriedly followed.

I squeezed hard in the crowded crowd, sweated a lot, and finally squeezed to the left gate of the Siliyuan.

Before Shu Youliang showed the paper, the captain on duty recognized him and greeted him with a smile.

"Master Shu, are you here for the trial?"

"Yes, how can we let Xiao Baicai's case fall by the wayside?"

"hey-hey."

"I'll bring two people in. The Portuguese envoy and deputy envoy are curious about our rules for hearing cases, so they asked your Chief Clerk Qu to help them. It's too urgent, there's nothing they can do, so they asked me to help them."

The captain chuckled, "Master Shu, your review paper is Class A, three people are allowed to sit in the exam, that's right."

"Okay, these two. No one else can impersonate them, judging by their appearance. Go in."

"Master Shu, take care."

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Shu Youliang bowed and took Marcelo and Leon in.

After entering the gate, there is an empty courtyard. Opposite the gate, there is a wall, one person tall and rectangular, with four lines of words engraved on it.

Leon asked quickly: “Master Shu, what do these four lines mean?”

"rule by law?"

Shu Youliang replied: "It means that the governance of a country must be based on the law."

Leon wanted to roll his eyes, it was like saying nothing.

Walking around the screen wall, you can see a tall statue with a base as high as a one-story building. On top is a goddess wearing a phoenix crown and a bridal robe. She looks graceful and dignified with a solemn expression, holding a scale in both hands.

"Master Shu, who is this?"

"Hou Tu Niangniang is one of the six gods worshipped by the Ming Dynasty. She controls yin and yang, nurtures all things, and controls the six calamities. She is the most fair. The instrument she holds is a scale, which means that the court of justice tries cases based on evidence and the law. It must be fair and just like a scale."

Marcelo frowned and couldn't help muttering a few words.

Shu Youliang raised his chin towards him and asked Leon, “What are you mumbling about?”

"Mr. Ma said that this Hou Tu Niangniang is a witch, yes, a woman."

Shu Youliang snorted: "Female, haha, ask him if his mother is a female?"

Leon was embarrassed and turned his head to mutter something, while Marcelo looked embarrassed.

Shu Youliang pointed at the statue of Hou Tu Niangniang and continued, "Don't look down on women. We still have many female gods in the Ming Dynasty. You came from Longkou and Xiangjiang Port, didn't you go to worship Xuan Niangniang?"

"Mysterious Goddess?"

"Yes, the Goddess of the Nine Heavens, who gave the Yellow Emperor the compass chariot, military books and strategies, and helped him defeat Chi You. The navy officers and soldiers first worshipped her because she could point the right direction and they would not get lost at sea.

He was also good at military affairs, and he prayed to her for victory in battle. Within two years, everyone followed her example and worshipped her, including those who sailed on the sea.

After listening to Leon's translation, Marcelo shrugged his shoulders, then remembered that Christianity also has the Virgin Mary, and for a moment he didn't think it was abrupt.

After walking around the statue of Hou Tu Duan Tianping, there are twelve steps in front. On both sides of the steps is a slanted wall with a line of words written on each wall.

On the left is "Rule by law, and the country will be at peace."

On the right is "Governing for the people, the people are happy."

People walked up the stairs in twos and threes and came to a one-story-high platform. In front of them were twelve six-story-high pillars and a roof with flying eaves and brackets.

Walking into the room from between the pillars, there is a spacious hall with a line of large characters like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes written on the main wall.

"There is righteousness in heaven and earth!"

There are doors on both sides. After turning in, there is a wide corridor with doors on both sides. On the lintels are written "Courtroom No. 1", "Courtroom No. 2", "Courtroom No. 3".
There was a sign in the middle of the corridor with a line of words on it, "The case of Wuxi resident Yang Kaitai is being heard in Courtroom No. 6 on the second floor."

Go up the stairs at the end of the corridor, walk to the second-floor corridor, follow Shu Youliang to the largest courtroom at the end, and walk in to see a very spacious hall.

In the middle of the front is a long black wooden table with a nameplate on it that reads "Manager's Chief Judge". On both sides are a slightly smaller wooden table, each with a nameplate on it: "Manager's Left Judge" and "Manager's Right Judge".

In front of the chief judge's desk, there is a long table with a nameplate that reads "Clerk". Down the stairs, there are two rows of long tables on the left and right, with the nameplates on the left reading "Plaintiff" and "Lawyer", and the nameplates on the right reading "Defendant" and "Lawyer".

In front of it is a row of half-person-high wooden fences that divide the hall into two parts. This part is filled with rows of wooden chairs, three rows of sixteen.

The two rows of long seats on the left and right can seat eight people side by side, and the middle row can seat twelve people.

The sixteen rows of seats were tilted, higher in the back and lower in the front. The backrests of the first three rows were painted blue, with a narrow wooden strip in front, and the back and seat surfaces of the thirteen rows were all black.

The first three rows of seats were already full of people. They spread out their notebooks on the wooden bar in front, using it as a simple desk. They held pens in their hands, bit their ears, and whispered to each other.

Half of the thirteen rows of seats at the back were occupied.

Shu Youliang took Marcelo and Leon straight to the fourth row of seats, which was sparsely packed and empty, so the three of them sat down in the middle seats.

"The first three rows are seats for reporters, and our row is the closest to the front in the audience," Shu Youliang explained.

"reporter?"

“The reporters from the newspapers.

Those are reporters from Nanjing Political News and Jiangsu Political News, reporters from Yangtze River Daily, Huibao and Shanghai Commercial News, reporters from Zhejiang Daily and Bamin Daily, reporters from Commercial News and Wencui Daily, and the one on the far left is the most impressive, a reporter from Xinming News Agency.

Leon said flatteringly: “Master Shu is really well-informed, so do you know the situation of this case?”

"Then you've asked the right person. I understand. I understand better than the plaintiff and the defendant!"

"Can you tell us about it?"

"No problem! This case has to start from last year, in the autumn of the fourth year of Wanli."

(End of this chapter)