I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 186 Shen Nian vs. Empress Dowager Li! Closed-door meeting, the decisive blow.

The last day of the eleventh month, early morning.

The daily lectures were cancelled again, and the young Wanli Emperor summoned all three Grand Secretaries to the Wenhua Hall.

Half an hour later.

Three imperial edicts from the young Wanli Emperor were sent out from the Forbidden City.

Firstly, regarding the case of Wu Qingbo's embezzlement of public funds, the court will soon announce the results of the investigation. Before the results are released, officials are prohibited from submitting memorials, engaging in debates, or creating public opinion.

Secondly, tomorrow's court sessions will proceed as normal, resolving all pending political matters except for the Wuqing Earl case.

Thirdly, effective immediately, Shen Yiguan, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, will concurrently serve as the official in charge of recording daily life.

at the same time.

Officials such as the chief judges of the three judicial departments, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, and Shen Nian, who had strongly opposed the lenient punishment of the Earl of Wuqing, all received an oral decree to go to the Wenhua Hall after the morning court session the next day to discuss the case of the Earl of Wuqing's embezzlement of public funds.

Upon receiving the imperial decree and oral instruction, Shen Nian couldn't help but smile.

This matter is finally coming to an end!
The first two imperial edicts were issued to quell the current chaos in the court.

The next decree was issued because Shen Nian, Wang Jiaping, and Zhao Zhimou, the three current officials in charge of recording the emperor's daily life, were involved in the matter. In addition, Shen Nian's memorial, "A Flattering Minister's Memorial on the Emperor's Incompetence," was too extreme, making it impossible for them to record the emperor's daily life fairly and impartially. Therefore, Shen Yiguan, who had not expressed any opinion, was chosen instead.

This is also a response to Shen Nian's "extreme" memorial.

As for the oral edicts issued during the Wenhua Hall meetings.

The goal, of course, is to hold closed-door meetings and resolve the issues.

……

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, at dawn, all the officials gathered at the Huangji Gate.

The young Wanli Emperor began to address some political matters that had accumulated due to his care for Empress Dowager Li.

At this time.

Only then did the officials realize the presence of Grand Secretaries Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang.

Neither of them said a word about the matter of the Earl of Wuqing.

However, they investigated other political matters very thoroughly, and in some cases even drafted two solutions.

Less than half an hour.

The backlog of political affairs was then resolved, and the officials had no objections.

Then, the morning court session ended.

After the civil and military officials dispersed, those who had received the oral instructions from the Wenhua Hall rushed towards the Wenhua Hall.

As the saying goes: important matters are discussed in small meetings, while minor matters are discussed in large meetings.

Next comes the time to address the big issues.

The officials were not envious of those officials rushing to the Wenhua Hall.

Because they knew that officials who advocated for the death penalty for the Marquis of Wuqing would most likely be reviled and severely punished.

They could manipulate the emperor, but they could never manipulate Empress Dowager Li.

As long as Empress Dowager Li does not agree to execute the Earl of Wuqing, Emperor Wanli will absolutely not be able to issue an edict. If these people still insist on their own opinions, they will be punished with caning at court at best, and at worst, they will lose their official positions.

……

After a while.

The three Grand Secretaries, the three chief officials of the three judicial departments, Cao Wei, Qi Jiguang, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, and Shen Nian—these eleven people stood in two rows inside the Wenhua Hall.

According to convention.

The three Grand Secretaries should stand on the left, and the other officials on the right.

However, Yin Zhengmao chose to stand with Shen Nian and other officials who advocated for the death penalty for the Earl of Wuqing.

He was very dissatisfied with the statements made by Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang.

On the throne, the young Wanli Emperor sat with a frown.

Behind the curtain behind her sat Empress Dowager Li, who claimed to be bedridden due to illness.

Feng Bao stood to the left of the throne, and Shen Yiguan, who also served as the recorder of the emperor's daily activities, stood to the right.

This matter has caused such a big uproar.

Even if some details are not made public, they must still be recorded in the daily records.

At this moment, the young Wanli Emperor looked at Feng Bao.

Feng Bao immediately understood and waved towards the entrance of the hall. Several junior eunuchs at the entrance quickly closed the gate of Wenhua Hall.

So-called closed-door meetings.

It means closing the door and saying things that cannot be said in the imperial court, using unconventional methods to solve problems or deal with the people who raise them.

Feng Baochao stepped forward and looked around.

"Currently, the matter of the Marquis of Wuqing temporarily misappropriating public funds has caused chaos in the court and seriously affected the administration of the government. His Majesty and the Empress Dowager do not want to see the civil and military officials cause any more trouble, so they have decided to discuss this matter with you all today to reach a consensus and quickly end this mess!"

"After discussion, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager hope that the current outcome will be to strip the Earl of Wuqing of his title, demote him to a commoner, and then order him to hand over the 150,000 taels of silver he embezzled."

"Given that this punishment may not satisfy the border soldiers, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager intend to take a sum of money from the imperial treasury for border military expenses to improve the lives of the soldiers. In addition, General Qi can raise some demands on behalf of the border soldiers. As long as the court's conditions permit, the needs of the border soldiers will be given priority!"

After saying this, Feng Bao looked at the assembled officials.

What Feng Bao said was naturally the words of Empress Dowager Li and the young Wanli Emperor.

It was not advisable for the two to argue with the officials, as this could damage the relationship between the emperor and his ministers and affect subsequent court affairs. Therefore, Feng Bao was instructed to speak.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was the first to step forward.

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Earl of Wuqing violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty, not a breach of contract or dishonesty in business. How can he be lightly punished and remedied in other ways!"

"Furthermore, the money in the imperial treasury is also the wealth of the court. How can it be used to improve the lives of the soldiers? The court should try its best to meet the needs of the soldiers on the border. Yet now it has become a condition for achieving the goal of leniently punishing the Earl of Wuqing. I am sorry, but I cannot understand it!"

"The law is as firm as the heavens. To shake the law is to shake the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty. I absolutely cannot agree to this solution!"

Chen Zan had barely finished speaking.

Yin Zhengmao, Liu Yingjie, Lu Guangzu, Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing, and Shen Nian stepped forward and bowed in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, we second your proposal!"

Their voices were clear and their momentum was overwhelming.

The young Wanli Emperor on the throne looked helpless.

Empress Dowager Li clenched her fists in anger, wishing she could have all of these people flogged in court.

Feng Bao paused for a moment, then said, “Gentlemen, the Earl of Wuqing is the father of the Empress Dowager and the maternal grandfather of His Majesty. If we were to execute him according to your wishes, have you considered the feelings of the Empress Dowager and His Majesty? Wouldn’t you be disloyal to do this? Wouldn’t you be forcing the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to be unfilial?”

"Furthermore, how can His Majesty get along with you by doing this? You are cutting off your own careers, disrupting the court, and are the culprits that prevent the new policies from being implemented properly!"

……

When the soft approach failed, Feng Bao's words gradually took on a threatening tone.

However, after he finished speaking, Yin Zhengmao and the others raised their heads and showed no fear whatsoever.

At this point, Empress Dowager Li became somewhat anxious.

She couldn't help but speak up: "My lords, if you insist on executing the Marquis of Wuqing, then for the sake of His Majesty's filial piety, for the stability of the Ming Dynasty, and to prevent this matter from further disrupting the court, I have no choice but to suggest that His Majesty demote and exile you all!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wanli wanted to soften Empress Dowager Li's words, but seeing that Yin Zhengmao and the others' expressions remained unchanged, he refrained from speaking.

Empress Dowager Li made these words clearly to threaten the ministers.

After Zhang Juzheng left the court, although the Drafting Office was established to remedy the situation, the Ming Dynasty was still weakened compared to the past. If all the officials in the palace who were doing practical work were demoted and sent to other places, the Ming Dynasty would probably lose another leg!

Empress Dowager Li and Emperor Wanli would never dare to do this unless absolutely necessary.

now.

The mother and son only hoped that Yin Zhengmao, Shen Nian and others could compromise for the sake of the bigger picture.

At this moment, Yin Zhengmao stepped forward.

"If the Empress Dowager says so, I implore Your Majesty to throw me into the death row. If you do not throw me into the death row, even if I am demoted to a commoner, I will still take up my knife and kill the Earl of Wuqing to seek justice for the soldiers suffering from the cold on the border!"

These words left Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, and the young Wanli Emperor speechless.

No one else could do this.

But Yin Zhengmao really is capable of doing such a thing.

The hall fell silent immediately.

The young Wanli Emperor, who had remained silent until now, sat up straight and looked at Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang.

"Grand Secretary Lü, Grand Secretary Ma, what do you think should be done?"

Lü Diaoyang looked helpless.

He hadn't expected to encounter such a thorny situation; at this moment, all he wanted to do was resign and retire.

He paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe it would be better for both sides to compromise. We can spare the death penalty for the Earl of Wuqing, but confiscate the property of his entire family and demote all members of the Li family who have been granted titles to commoners!"

"no!"

Before Yin Zhengmao and the others could speak, Empress Dowager Li's angry voice came from behind the curtain.

Immediately, Empress Dowager Li stood up.

"Although my family is not a prominent one, I have been influenced by my father and have always strictly followed etiquette. Since marrying the late emperor, I have served him wholeheartedly and have never made a mistake."

"The late emperor died young, and Your Majesty was young. It was I who strictly taught Your Majesty in the inner court. It was I who made Your Majesty humbly accept advice and listen to the words of the ministers. It was I who made the inner court yield to the outer court and made way for the new policies in everything."

“My family has rendered service to the royal family, and even if we have not made any great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, we have certainly worked hard for it. Now you are taking advantage of my widowed mother and her orphans, and you want to make His Majesty all alone. What are your intentions? If... if Grand Secretary Zhang were here, he would never have stood his ground and let His Majesty fall into this dilemma!”

……

As she spoke, Empress Dowager Li began to sob behind the curtain.

This was the trick that the officials feared most; arguing with her would only make her cry harder.

Lu Diaoyang was at a loss for what to do. He had originally planned to compromise, but when Empress Dowager Li heard the words "confiscate property," she immediately switched to the most difficult mode to deal with.

this moment.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, only the sound of Empress Dowager Li sobbing could be heard.

The young Wanli Emperor stood up, bowed to Empress Dowager Li, and said, "It is my fault that Your Majesty has suffered, it is my fault!"

At this moment, Yin Zhengmao had no temper left.

He knew that if he opened his mouth, all he would get in return was an even more heart-wrenching wail from Empress Dowager Li.

This scene really does look like courtiers bullying an orphan and a widow.

At this time, Shen Nian stood up.

He bowed to the young Wanli Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot agree with Grand Secretary Lü's plan. This time, the Earl of Wuqing must die!"

Shen Nian's words were like adding fuel to the fire.

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li's weeping intensified considerably.

Shen Nian raised his voice and continued, "Your Majesty, the contributions of the Empress Dowager to the Ming Dynasty and the Li family to the Ming Dynasty are known to all the officials in the court and to all the people of the world. The court has already given the Earl of Wuqing enough reward. Merit is merit, and fault is fault. How can past merits offset future faults? The Empress Dowager's words are utterly wrong!"

Upon hearing this, all the officials felt a chill run down their spines.

They felt that Empress Dowager Li might even rush out from behind the curtain and tear Shen Nian's mouth apart.

Shen Nian is so tough!
Wow!

Just then, the curtain behind them was suddenly lifted.

With tears streaming down her face, Empress Dowager Li quickly stepped out from behind the curtain, then descended the steps and suddenly walked up to Shen Nian.

"Pfft!"

Empress Dowager Li knelt directly in front of Shen Nian and said, "Shen Nian, kill me too!"

Hear this.

All the officials in the hall immediately knelt on the ground.

The young Wanli Emperor quickly stepped down from his throne and, together with Feng Bao, went to help Empress Dowager Li.

"Mother, get up quickly, get up quickly! Everything will be done according to your wishes! According to your wishes!" Little Wanli was immediately anxious.

If Empress Dowager Li then becomes distraught and chooses to bang her head against a pillar, the matter will escalate significantly.

Empress Dowager Li knelt on the ground, looking at Shen Nian, waiting for Shen Nian to compromise.

Emperor Wanli looked at Shen Nian and said, "Minister Shen, stop arguing. I must protect the life of the Marquis of Wuqing today!"

Hear this.

Yin Zhengmao, Liu Yingjie, Lu Guangzu, Chen Zan, and others were somewhat discouraged and felt that they were about to compromise again.

The Empress Dowager was forced to kneel before the officials in the palace; they had no choice but to compromise.

At this moment, as long as Shen Nian speaks up and compromises, no one else will argue anymore.

The ancestors of the Ming Dynasty all proclaimed that the laws of the Ming Dynasty were above all else, and that princes and commoners were subject to the same laws.

But it was just a shouting exercise, meant to let the people hear it.

As long as it was the Ming Dynasty, imperial power was above all else.

Shen Nian knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the earth.

He paused for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, I never expected you to choose such a method to force me."

"I know that nothing is too much to save my father's life, but you have harmed His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty for the sake of the Marquis of Wuqing!"

"If the Marquis of Wuqing is not executed today, the 600,000 soldiers of the nine border regions in the north will lose faith in the court; if the Marquis of Wuqing is not executed today, the nearly 100,000 members of the imperial family in the two capitals and thirteen provinces will become even more unscrupulous in their land annexation; if the Marquis of Wuqing is not executed today, officials like us will no longer be willing to believe in the laws of the Ming Dynasty; if the Marquis of Wuqing is not executed today, future historical records may write: The decline of the Ming Dynasty began today, and the demise of the Ming Dynasty was due to this event!"

……

"This precedent must not be set!" Shen Nian's voice choked with emotion.

"Your Majesty, I am not exaggerating, but thinking of His Majesty's best interests. You are harming His Majesty for the sake of the Earl of Wuqing. After a hundred years, how will you... how will you explain to Emperor Shizong and the late Emperor? How will His Majesty explain to Emperor Shizong and the late Emperor!"

After Shen Nian finished speaking, she straightened her back and looked at the young Wanli Emperor.

"Your Majesty, if you follow the Empress Dowager's words and destroy the foundation of our ancestors, I beg for death!" Shen Nian's face was full of tears.

The development of the Ming Dynasty's new policies has not been easy, and Shen Nian would rather die than have it ruined by such a thing.

Once a small crack appears in something, it will keep widening until it becomes a huge abyss that can swallow everything.

“Your subject begs to die!” Yin Zhengmao followed up immediately.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty begs for death!"

Chen Zan, Liu Yingjie, Lu Guangzu, Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing, and even Qi Jiguang all bowed and begged for death.

Shen Nian finished speaking.

They increasingly felt that this was something they needed to persevere in, even at the cost of their lives.

this moment.

The young Wanli Emperor knelt on the ground, supporting Empress Dowager Li's arm, his eyes red-rimmed, unsure of what to do.

Unexpectedly, things got worse and worse.

Empress Dowager Li's kneeling before the court officials was a pre-planned move she believed would guarantee her victory. She instructed the young Wanli Emperor to wait until the officials had compromised before speaking.

However, to the surprise of the young Wanli Emperor, Shen Nian uttered such words, which led the courtiers to beg for their lives.

These words made the young Wanli Emperor somewhat inclined to side with Shen Nian.

But seeing Empress Dowager Li kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down her face, he didn't know what to do.

Lu Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang knelt on the ground, their minds racing. After a moment of thought, they could only come up with one sentence: If Grand Secretary Zhang were here, this situation would never have occurred!
The hall fell silent once again.

at this time.

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps came from the side door of the main hall.

A young eunuch strode in, holding a letter in his hand, and was dumbfounded to see everyone kneeling on the ground.

Feng Bao turned to look at him and said sternly, "You dog slave! Who let you in?"

"This servant...this servant...has come to deliver...to deliver Grand Secretary Zhang's reply!" The young eunuch knelt on the ground, holding the letter high in his hand, his whole body trembling.

this moment.

Emperor Wanli suddenly remembered that after discovering that the Earl of Wuqing had embezzled 150,000 taels of silver, he panicked and didn't know what to do. So he ordered Feng Bao to immediately send someone to Jiangling and then asked him to bring back Zhang Juzheng's reply to the capital.

The young Wanli Emperor's requirement was that this letter be delivered to him immediately whenever it returned to the capital.

The young Wanli Emperor's eyes lit up, and he suddenly had a new idea.

He slowly stood up, then gave Feng Bao a look as if he were handing over the letter.

Feng Bao immediately understood and quickly handed the letter to the young Wanli Emperor, then ordered the eunuch to leave.

Holding the letter, Emperor Wanli said, "After I learned that the Marquis of Wuqing had indeed embezzled, I immediately ordered someone to go to Jiangling to inquire about the Prime Minister's opinion. This is the reply I have now. I trust the Prime Minister's decision. Your insistence on leaving the position of Prime Minister vacant and retaining the Prime Minister also shows that you trust the Prime Minister. Why don't we resolve this matter according to what the Prime Minister said?"

"Mother, do you have any objections?" The young Wanli Emperor looked at Empress Dowager Li.

Empress Dowager Li paused for a moment and said, "I trust Grand Secretary Zhang."

Last time, Zhang Juzheng chose to lightly punish Wu Qingbo in order to consider the overall situation. She believed that based on Zhang Juzheng's understanding of her, he would also advocate for a light punishment for Wu Qingbo.

Furthermore, for the sake of the new policies, Zhang Juzheng would absolutely not choose to sever ties with the inner court.

Hear this.

Emperor Wanli breathed a sigh of relief and immediately helped Empress Dowager Li up.

Afterwards, the young Wanli looked at Shen Nian and the others.

Shen Nian and the others hesitated immediately.

Based on their understanding of Zhang Juzheng, the latter would never confront Empress Dowager Li with such a tough attitude; the probability of him compromising was too high!

"What? You still want to cause trouble?" Xiao Wanli's tone became serious.

Shen Nian looked at Yin Zhengmao.

Yin Zhengmao nodded to Shen Nian and then said, "Your subject trusts Grand Secretary Zhang!"

immediately.

Chen Zan, Liu Yingjie, Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing, Qi Jiguang, Cao Wei, Shen Nian, and others all cupped their hands and said, "Your Majesty, we believe in Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Some of these people were only agreeing out of desperation.

But Qi Jiguang was definitely sincere; he firmly believed that Zhang Juzheng's idea was absolutely correct.

"Alright, it's settled then. How this matter is resolved will be as stated in the letter from the Prime Minister, and there's no going back on it!" Little Wanli emphasized again.

Zhang Juzheng was not in court.

He remains the best choice for resolving important matters of the court, and the only person trusted by both the emperor and his ministers.

The ministers all nodded in agreement.

Next, they followed Zhang Juzheng's letter and stopped causing trouble!

Tear!

The young Wanli Emperor tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and was stunned when he saw the two very brief lines of text on the letter.

He stood there stunned for about five breaths, then opened his mouth.

Just as he was about to read the contents aloud, he chose to hand the letter to Lü Diaoyang, who was standing to the side.

Lu Diaoyang took the letter with trembling hands. After reading it, he read aloud with trembling lips: "For all matters of national importance that the Emperor cannot decide, he should consult the three Grand Secretaries. If the three Grand Secretaries have different opinions, the decision shall be made by Shen Shijiang. Shen Shijiang has no selfish motives towards the country, His Majesty, or the people."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li fainted.

(End of this chapter)