I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 182 National affairs are paramount; Marquis Wuqing must die!

After leaving the Forbidden City, Yin Zhengmao went straight to the Tongwen Academy in Shuntian Prefecture.

He first had to appease Qi Jiguang and convey the decree of the young Wanli Emperor: the matter of winter clothing should not be disclosed to outsiders within three days, and banquets and audiences should also be postponed until three days later.

At the same time, they were informed that the Ministry of Revenue had begun to expedite the preparation of winter clothing to be shipped to the northern border.

Yin Zhengmao patted his chest and assured Qi Jiguang—

Three days later, if the young Wanli Emperor were to protect his relatives, he would find it difficult to give an explanation to the nineteen soldiers who froze to death at Gubeikou on the Great Wall.

During the banquet, he was the first to overturn the table, making a big fuss about it.

If the matter still could not be resolved, he personally took a knife and killed Wu Qingbo.

Yin Zhengmao, who had led troops in battle.

He was the one who knew best the hardships and lowly status of the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and he understood the potential dangers that might arise when these people lost faith in the court.

Yin Zhengmao was almost certain that Wu Qingbo was the mastermind behind it all.

It's just unclear how much silver Wuqingbo embezzled and with whom he conspired to do this.

Immediately.

He dispatched his trusted confidants to secretly investigate the merchants who manufactured these 200,000 winter coats.

The Ministry of Revenue has a unique advantage in investigating commercial matters, and it is not difficult for it to find out the truth.

……

At noon, in the warm pavilion of Wenhua Hall.

Only three people were involved: Xiao Wanli, Feng Bao, and Cao Wei, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and concurrently the Commander of the Northern Garrison.

Emperor Wanli ordered Feng Bao to deliver Qi Jiguang's memorial to Cao Wei.

Cao Wei was greatly shocked upon seeing this.

Unexpectedly, someone dared to cut corners on the winter clothing of the border guards for personal gain.

And this person is very likely to be the maternal relative with the closest relationship to the royal family at present—the Earl of Wuqing.

"Commander Cao, I order you to investigate this matter secretly immediately, without letting any court officials know about it. Within three days, you must find out the ins and outs of this matter, especially whether the Earl of Wuqing was the mastermind or was deceived, and whose pockets the 200,000 taels of silver allocated by the court ended up!"

"Remember! What I want is the truth, not the conclusion you reach after considering the pros and cons!" the young Wanli Emperor said solemnly.

"I understand!"

Cao Wei bowed deeply, and then, seeing the young Wanli waving at him, he immediately left the warm pavilion.

Investigate the truth.

It's much simpler than finding out the truth that you're looking for!
At this time.

Feng Bao looked at the young Wanli Emperor, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, shall we proceed to Cining Palace immediately?"

The young Wanli Emperor shook his head.

"I will not let the Empress Dowager know about this for now. I will discuss how to handle it with her after I know the truth!"

At this moment, young Wanli only wanted to know the truth as soon as possible.

Last time, when Marquis Wuqing accepted bribes to save a death row inmate, Emperor Wanli's lenient punishment of him caused an uproar in the court. If Marquis Wuqing is the mastermind again this time, he must punish him severely, and has no choice but to do so.

If Empress Dowager Li had known about this at that time, she would very likely have helped the Earl of Wuqing conceal the truth.

This is something the young Wanli Emperor did not want to see.

……

Afternoon, inside the Hanlin Academy.

Shen Nian sat at the table, somewhat absent-minded.

This "tainted cotton" incident involves as many as 200,000 border guards. Whoever embezzled this money should be sentenced to death.

However, it is extremely difficult to sentence Wu Qingbo to death right now!
Shen Nian began to ponder how Zhang Juzheng would handle this matter if he were in court.

If Zhang Juzheng were alive, he would have severely punished the Earl of Wuqing, but at most he would have stripped him of his title rather than killed him.

Because once Wu Qingbo is killed...

The iron triangle of Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng, who were protecting the young Wanli Emperor, would soon break up.

It is detrimental to the affairs of the court.

However, Shen Nian had no such concerns.

He was pondering how to kill Wu Qingbo in a suitable way.

So-called collective remonstrance, remonstrance to the death, and using public opinion to create momentum are all terrible strategies that can only worsen the relationship between the emperor and his ministers, causing them to be constantly pulled in opposite directions.

The best approach is to make the young Wanli Emperor willingly execute the Earl of Wuqing, while Empress Dowager Li has no choice but to support him.

……

November 21st, afternoon.

Wenhua Hall.

Cao Wei approached the young Wanli Emperor and recounted the entire story of the "black-hearted cotton" incident in detail.

“Your Majesty, last winter, Marquis Wuqing, along with Shao Fang, a silk merchant from the capital, accepted a task in the northern border to purchase 200,000 winter clothes for 200,000 taels of silver. This February, the court allocated 200,000 taels of silver to Marquis Wuqing. In order to renovate his own residence, Marquis Wuqing took 150,000 taels and gave the remaining 50,000 taels of silver to the silk merchant Shao Fang.”

"Afterwards, the silk merchant Shao Fang kept 10,000 taels of silver for himself, keeping the budget within 40,000 taels. Then, he used recycled coarse cloth, old cotton, and mildewed cotton to make 200,000 winter clothes, which were transported to the border at the end of September and the beginning of October this year. Since the winter clothes were purchased by the Marquis of Wuqing and the soldiers responsible for checking the quality did not dare to refuse them, they were directly distributed to the soldiers."

……

"For...for the renovation of the mansion? He dared to embezzle 150,000 taels of silver out of 200,000 taels?" The young Wanli Emperor's face darkened.

Wuqing Earl Li Wei was a bricklayer by trade, and he loved building houses in his spare time.

His mansion could be called the premier estate in the capital at the time, with extremely luxurious decorations that even surpassed the imperial palace in some aspects.

Cao Wei lowered his head, cupped his hands, and remained silent.

If someone else had done this, he would have insisted that the mastermind suffer in prison first.

However, since it involved the Earl of Wuqing, he could only listen to the opinion of the young Wanli Emperor.

The young Wanli Emperor was furious.

He and Empress Dowager Li usually rewarded the Earl of Wuqing the most, but they never expected the latter to be so greedy.

"The Duke of Xuanwu is here to pay his respects!" the young Wanli Emperor announced loudly.

……

Less than half an hour later.

Marquis Li Wei of Wuqing, dressed in his marquis's robes, arrived at the Wenhua Hall with a broad smile. Having been summoned at the end of the year, he was most likely there to receive a reward.

Since the bribery incident in September, he has kept a very low profile.

He spent his days eating, drinking, having fun, and watching plays in his residence, which greatly reduced his interactions with officials and businessmen.

"This old minister, Marquis Wuqing, greets Your Majesty!" Marquis Wuqing said, bowing.

Just as Wu Qingbo thought that the young Wanli Emperor was going to offer him a seat as usual, he heard the young Wanli Emperor's gloomy voice.

"Lord Wuqing, please read this memorial before you reply!"

Immediately.

Feng Bao handed Qi Jiguang's memorial to Wu Qingbo. Wu Qingbo, sensing the tense atmosphere, quickly began to read it carefully.

After reading it, the Earl of Wuqing rolled his eyes.

"Your Majesty, this...this is pure slander! This old minister did not embezzle any money. It is true that I purchased this batch of winter clothes, but I did not squeeze the price of one tael of silver per garment down to two mace of silver per garment. This old minister worked hard for several months on this batch of winter clothes and did make a little money, but it was only a few thousand taels of silver!"

"What General Qi said about nineteen soldiers freezing to death in one day is not necessarily due to the winter clothing. Many people know that it is cold on the Great Wall battlements in winter. It could be due to the weather or the soldiers' hidden illnesses!"

Wu Qingbo, who was 68 years old at the time, had a kind and honest face.

When lying, one's eyes don't blink.

If Emperor Wanli hadn't already found evidence, he might have believed the Earl of Wuqing's lies.

“Grandfather, General Qi has already submitted his impeachment memorial to me. You...you still don’t intend to tell the truth?”

After saying that, the young Wanli turned to look at Feng Bao.

Feng Bao immediately understood.

He presented the contents of the documents that Cao Wei had investigated, along with the tattered winter coat from the bundle, to the Earl of Wuqing.

After reading the document, Wu Qingbo's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

The whole person is wilted.

He looked at the young Wanli Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, it is…it is this old minister who is confused, it is this old minister who is confused! This old minister did not expect that the quality of this batch of winter clothes would be so poor. The silk merchant Shao Fang told me that the cloth and cotton were just old cloth and cotton from the past two years. Although they are not as good as new ones, they are fine for keeping out the cold and wind, and can at least be worn for two years. He lied to me! He lied to me!”

The young Wanli Emperor looked at the Earl of Wuqing.

“Grandfather, putting everything else aside for now, it’s true that 150,000 taels of the 200,000 taels allocated by the imperial court ended up in your pocket!”

Wu Qingbo Li Wei nodded helplessly.

The document clearly outlined everything, leaving him with no way to hide it.

“Grandfather, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you should be hanged, and the entire Li family should be exiled!”

Wu Qingbo panicked.

"Your Majesty, this old minister requests to see the Empress Dowager! This old minister requests to see the Empress Dowager!"

Little Wanli looked at Feng Bao.

"Master, take Wuqingbo to see the Empress Dowager and report the whole story to her. I will wait here!"

"This old servant obeys!" Feng Bao led the Earl of Wuqing and hurried towards the Cining Palace.

……

Half an hour later.

Empress Dowager Li, Earl Wuqing, and Feng Bao returned to the Wenhua Hall.

"Mother!"

The young Wanli Emperor stood up and respectfully addressed Empress Dowager Li.

A moment.

Empress Dowager Li and the Earl of Wuqing sat on the left and right respectively, while the young Wanli Emperor sat on the throne.

Empress Dowager Li spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Earl of Wuqing is old and confused. He doesn't know right from wrong or what is serious. He himself doesn't realize that he has committed such a heinous crime!"

"This crime is too serious for the Earl of Wuqing to bear. I just discussed it with Feng Bao, and we decided to place the main blame on the silk merchant Shao Fang and the eunuchs who were in charge of this matter!"

"But the Marquis of Wuqing must also be punished. In order to quell public anger, strip him of his title and all his honors!"

He heard that his title was to be stripped.

The Earl of Wuqing stood up in disbelief, but after being glared at by Empress Dowager Li, he immediately sat down again.

Little Wanli frowned slightly.

Empress Dowager Li's words represent a typical approach of "committing a major offense, determining a minor crime, and then severely punishing the offender."

But she underestimated the seriousness of the matter.

They underestimated the extent to which the Earl of Wuqing was disliked by the officials.

The negative impact of this event on the nine border regions of the Ming Dynasty was underestimated.

In addition, Empress Dowager Li spoke in a commanding tone, which made young Wanli feel somewhat uncomfortable.

The current Wanli Emperor.

He no longer blindly obeyed Empress Dowager Li, especially when it came to matters of state.

He saw through Empress Dowager Li's narrow-mindedness, selfishness, and shortsightedness; she cared about the imperial family but not the world.

"Mother, I can handle it this way, but I'm afraid the civil and military officials will not agree, nor will the 600,000 soldiers guarding the nine border regions!"

"What? Does His Majesty intend to kill the Marquis of Wuqing?"

"Your son dares not. Your son believes that at the very least, all members of the Li family should be stripped of their honorary titles, fined 200,000 taels of silver, and subjected to court flogging, with your son bearing the punishment. Only in this way can the officials be satisfied!"

This was the lightest punishment the young Wanli Emperor could think of.

"No!" Empress Dowager Li's tone became stern.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Feng Bao quickly said, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this old servant has just come up with a plan that might be worth trying."

……

Just as Empress Dowager Li, Emperor Wanli, and Feng Bao were discussing countermeasures in the Wenhua Hall.

Shen Nian received a letter sent by someone sent by Yin Zhengmao.

The above details how the Earl of Wuqing embezzled 150,000 taels of silver for winter clothing, a fact that is irrefutable.

"This move is tantamount to cutting off the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty! The affairs of the state are of utmost importance. This time, the Earl of Wuqing must die!" Shen Nian said angrily, clenching his fists.

(End of this chapter)