I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 171 Shen Nian's House Collapses? Shen Ziheng, the Number One Hypocrite of the Ming Dynasty?

On September 13th, the autumn wind rose and the weather grew cooler.

The locust, elm, and ailanthus trees on both sides of the hutongs in Beijing have begun to shed their leaves.

Some scholars have already changed their thin shirts into round-necked robes, and their usual places for casual conversation have changed from tea stalls to teahouses. Some have even laid out soft cushions in their carriages.

And the common people at the bottom of society.

Wearing a thin layer of clothing over summer clothes is considered wearing autumn clothes.

These days.

The young Wanli Emperor lived a particularly uncomfortable life.

All the lecturers held copies of "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" and "Great Ming Code" in their hands during class. They would spend half an hour explaining the contents of these two books before proceeding to explain other things.

Empress Dowager Li also became much more restrained in her Buddhist activities and temple construction, focusing all her energy on preparing for the grand wedding of the young Wanli Emperor.

at the same time.

The cabinet transferred some of the informants that the Directorate of Ceremonial had placed in the Six Ministries to less important positions.

In Zhang Juzheng's words: The Six Ministries can be supervised by the Six Departments, and there is no need for the Imperial Guard to intervene.

This move was applauded by many officials.

The Sixth Inspection Department follows the rules, but the Factory Guard arrests people without reason, and everyone has long suffered under their control.

……

September 14th, near noon.

After Shen Nianri finished speaking, he returned to the Hanlin Academy from the Wenhua Hall.

He had barely sat down when a clerk informed him that Shen Shixing, the Hanlin Academician in charge of the Hanlin Academy, wanted to see him.

Immediately.

Shen Nian quickly arrived at Shen Shixing's academic duty room.

Shen Shixing usually greeted Shen Nian with a smile, but this time his expression was quite serious.

This surprised Shen Nian.

"Ziheng, close the door!"

Shen Nian closed the door with a puzzled look on her face and stood opposite Shen Shixing.

"Ziheng, now you must answer my questions seriously. Do not hide anything or lie, understand?"

Seeing that Shen Shixing was serious and earnest, Shen Nian immediately nodded.

Do you know the Yaodong Trading Company?

"Yaodong Trading Company? I don't know!" Shen Nian shook his head.

"Do you know these two businessmen, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi?"

Shen Nian was stunned.

"These are my father and father-in-law. Does Yaodong Trading Company belong to them?"

The name "Yaodong" is clearly derived from one character each from the names of Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi.

"You really don't know about Yaodong Trading Company? Don't you know they're no longer doing business in Jiangnan but in the North?"

Shen Nian explained, "I know they do business in the north, and I often correspond with them. But my father and father-in-law never talk to me about business matters, so I don't know if something has happened to Yaodong Trading Company."

Shen Shixing took a small local newspaper from his desk and said, "Take a look at this first!"

Shen Nian took the tabloid.

At a glance, one can see a line of very eye-catching characters: The Rise and Fall of Yaodong Trading Company, a Giant of Trade in the Northern Border of the Ming Dynasty.

This article details the development of Yaodong Trading Company in the north.

"On March 25th, Yaodong Trading Company set up a shop in Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province, with the owners being Jiangnan merchants Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi."

"On April 18th, Yaodong Trading Company opened three branches in Datong Prefecture, recruiting people with high salaries and benefits, with a total of 200 employees."

"On May 15th, two local trading companies in Taiyuan Prefecture, which were twice the size of Yaodong Trading Company and engaged in the transportation and sale of goods, were forced to close down by Yaodong Trading Company."

……

"On June 23, Xu You, the prefect of Fengxiang Prefecture under the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission, publicly commended Yaodong Trading Company and signed a contract with them to transport military rations for two years."

"Yaodong Trading Company has been continuously expanding and establishing branches. By the end of August, it had become the largest trading company transporting all kinds of goods, spanning the nine border regions of the north, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Shandong provinces, with hundreds of smaller shops under its jurisdiction!"

These development processes fully demonstrate the uniqueness of Yaodong Trading Company.

Yaodong Trading Company can do business that others cannot; Yaodong Trading Company dares to provoke local merchants that others dare not provoke.

Wherever Yaodong Trading Company was located, local officials from the prefecture, county, and township would lend a hand.

At last.

This article reveals the fundamental reason why Yaodong Trading Company has this capability.

"Shen Yaoshan, the head of Yaodong Trading Company, is the father of Shen Nian, a Hanlin Academy lecturer; Gu Dongyi, the second head of Yaodong Trading Company, is the father-in-law of Shen Nian, a Hanlin Academy lecturer."

The article states: Shen Nian recites benevolence and righteousness but acts like a thief, intending to replace the Zhang and Wang families and become a wealthy merchant with a fortune comparable to that of a nation. His words and deeds are inconsistent, making him the number one hypocrite of the Ming Dynasty.

After reading it, Shen Nian couldn't help but show anger on her face.

"That's utter nonsense! My father and father-in-law would never do business in my name. Besides, I'm just a Hanlin Academy reader. Outside the capital, I have no power whatsoever. How could I possibly do such things?"

Shen Shixing looked at Shen Nian.

"Is it possible that they are using your reputation and the name of the Four Grand Secretaries? Right now, local officials all believe that the Four Grand Secretaries could all be your backers!" Shen Shixing said.

Shen Nian shook her head without hesitation.

"Impossible! My father and father-in-law never rely on the government for business, nor would they do anything that violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Then... why did other merchants in the area go bankrupt so quickly? Why did local officials step in to support Yaodong Trading Company? How did Yaodong Trading Company grow to this size in just eight months? How do you explain that?"

"At this moment, I cannot explain it, because I do not know whether the contents of this tabloid are true or false. Even if the contents are true, I firmly believe that my father and father-in-law achieved this through their own business acumen!"

"They engage in commerce not to make money, but to revitalize trade in the north, so that when the Single Whip Law is implemented in the north, the people can benefit more and become as wealthy as the people in the south. Relying on heaven and earth is not as good as relying on trade!"

Shen Shixing frowned slightly.

If these words came from someone else, claiming that their business was for the sake of the new government policies and the poor people in the north, they would be making a statement.

Shen Shixing would never believe it.

But hearing it from Shen Nian's mouth, he always felt that it was the truth.

"As expected, the contents of this tabloid will soon spread throughout the streets of the capital and the imperial court. Some officials in the censorate may have already begun to impeach you. How do you plan to save yourself?"

Shen Nian straightened his chest.

"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. I will confront anyone who fabricates such a lie!"

“Although I don’t know exactly what my father and father-in-law did, I believe they absolutely did not violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and they certainly wouldn’t be doing business under anyone’s name!” Shen Nian said with certainty.

He trusted his father and father-in-law as much as he trusted himself.

Shen Shixing paused for a moment and said, "I believe in you. From now on, no matter who targets you, I will do my best to protect you until the problem is completely resolved!"

Shen Shixing has always liked to play both sides and avoid conflict.

But this time his attitude was very clear.

Without any evidence to prove that the article was fake, and without Shen Nian's father and father-in-law having violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he decisively chose to stand on Shen Nian's side.

……

And at this moment.

This tabloid has spread throughout the streets of Beijing thanks to the frenzied dissemination by certain "interested individuals".

Many scholars were greatly shocked after reading it.

Unexpectedly, the emperor's close advisor who uttered the "Theory of Waste" actually did something even worse than that of a waste.

I never imagined that the person who wrote "On a Prosperous Age" and proclaimed that the people are the most important, the next prime minister in the hearts of the people, would be so mercenary and hypocritical.

Of course, some people have expressed doubts about this article.

But they were too few in number to speak up for Shen Nian, and simply waited in silence for her explanation.

In almost half a day.

The ugly label of "the greatest hypocrite of the Ming Dynasty" was then placed on Shen Nian's head.

After rumors of abuse against Shen Nian spread among the people, impeachment memorials from officials of various government offices in the capital also flew to the Office of Transmission like snowflakes.

(End of this chapter)