I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 95: The Frugal Little Wanli, the Extravagant Juren

The seventh day of August.

Shen Nian was promoted again and became the sixth-rank Zuo Zanshan of the Zhanshi Mansion and Hanlin Editor.

The assignment has not changed, but the treatment has been improved by one level.

This makes many officials envious.

Some officials who thought the Ministry of Personnel was unfair no longer had any objection to Shen Nian's special promotion after learning that it was Shen Nian who proposed the "Hundred Schools of Thought".

In their eyes, proposing this strategy is crazy.

It is even more crazy to be able to persuade the emperor and three ministers to implement this plan.

After the discussion of the various political parties, if the new policies of the imperial court can be implemented more smoothly, that would be fine; but if there is any chaos, Shen Nian will definitely be the main culprit.

Some people also compare Shen Nian's promotion path with that of Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng, at the age of 25, served as an editor of the Hanlin Academy, a seventh rank; at the age of 36, he served as the right Zhongyun of the Youchunfang, a sixth rank, and concurrently the director of the Imperial College; at the age of 42, he served as a fifth rank academician of the Hanlin Academy; at the age of 43, he served as the right vice-minister of the Ministry of Rites, a third rank, and concurrently an academician of the Hanlin Academy.

Shen Nian's official career was smoother than Zhang Juzheng's.

At the age of twenty-six, he was already a sixth-rank scholar. If nothing serious happened, he would most likely be able to serve as a fifth-rank academician or lecturer in the Hanlin Academy before he turned thirty.

Once you get to this point.

It is very likely that he will become an official in a ministry or even join the cabinet at the age of 40.

If we can achieve more great achievements, the speed may be even faster.

In recent days.

When Shen Nian walked on the road, the officials and clerks who greeted him all looked at him differently.

Even some officials with higher ranks than him subconsciously lowered their bodies.

There are many more polite words.

Shen Nian still adheres to his style of "high-profile work and low-key life", and continues to do what he should do.

After leaving office, he almost always went home to spend time with his wife and children, and did not participate in any banquets or gatherings with unfamiliar people.

……

At the same time, the "Plan for Securing the People" had spread to provincial capitals across the country.

Keeping the people safe and close to the people means being harsh on officials, which means that it is more difficult to complete the performance evaluation of officials.

Although it has not yet been implemented, it has caused dissatisfaction among many local officials.

Some officials submitted memorials saying that the performance evaluation system and the policy of keeping the people safe could not coexist at all. The duties were too demanding and the performance evaluation was too difficult. They hoped that the court would understand the hardships of local officials and relax the policy of keeping the people safe.

For such situations.

Little Wanli's reply was unified into eight words: If the matter is difficult, you can resign.

Because of the policies to pacify the people and the policies of the various schools of thought.

Shen Nian's name became famous again, and he became a hotly discussed historian in teahouses, taverns, streets and alleys, among scholars and literati.

……

On the ninth day of August, the triennial Autumn Examination officially began.

Students from Shuntian Prefecture will go to the Imperial Examination Hall in the capital and take an examination on the 9th, 12th and 15th day of August.

Another student who participated in the provincial examination this time included Zhang Juzheng's second son Zhang Sixiu.

His eldest son Zhang Jingxiu passed the Huguang provincial examination in the first year of the Wanli reign, but failed in the second year of the Wanli reign.

The third son, Zhang Maoxiu, is only nineteen years old and will most likely take part in the next provincial examination.

In addition, Lu Diaoyang's son Lu Xingzhou is already a juren and will also take part in the joint examination next year.

This means that in next year's examination, both Zhang Juzheng and Lu Diaoyang may avoid suspicion, and the chief examiner will be either Zhang Siwei or Ma Ziqiang.

……

August 14th, during the break of the daily lecture.

In the side hall of Wenhua Palace, Shen Nian, as the daily record officer and literary attendant, stood beside the imperial desk.

Feng Bao stood by and helped the young Wanli to approve the documents.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
When the young Wanli read the memorials, he would basically write two words in his reply: as proposed.

If it is proposed, it will be implemented according to the cabinet's proposal.

Since the young Wanli ascended the throne, the two words were the most common comments he wrote.

Even if he disagrees with the cabinet's suggestions, he will not directly refute them, but will reply with three words: I understand.

To know means: to see it, but to put it aside for now and discuss it later.

Young Wanli rarely approved these three words.

Because of this approval.

It means questioning the cabinet ministers' ability to draft bills. If this happens more than three times a month, the cabinet ministers will have to resign voluntarily.

once.

The Jiajing Emperor and the Longqing Emperor refuted the cabinet's suggestions or let the cabinet know his imperial intentions in advance through the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department.

But now.

Feng Bao, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department who was also in charge of the East Factory, was very kind to the young Wanli, but when it came to official matters, he basically carried out the orders of Empress Dowager Li or Zhang Juzheng.

This made the young Wanli feel that apart from having some presence in the regular court, reviewing memorials was just a routine job, and his main task was to study government affairs rather than manage them.

at this time.

After reading a memorial, the young Wanli hesitated for a moment and replied, "I understand."

Feng Bao, who was standing by, saw the young Wanli writing from afar and knew that the comment was not: As proposed.

He hurried over to the young Wanli and asked, "Your Majesty, is there any problem with this memorial? Should we summon the Prime Minister?"

Little Wanli shook his head slightly, then looked at Shen Nian.

"Editor Shen, this is the Ministry of Works' memorial refusing to renovate the Ciqing and Cining Palaces. The two Empress Dowagers are preparing for my wedding, so isn't it okay for them to renovate the palaces?"

"The Prime Minister has repeatedly taught me to be frugal. I'm not extravagant in my daily expenses. However, Ciqing Palace and Cining Palace are the residences of the two Empress Dowagers. Making them live more comfortably is my filial duty, isn't it? The treasury is not short of money!"

Shen Nian smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, filial piety lies in the heart, not in money. Your Majesty asks for your well-being every day, and your reputation for benevolence and filial piety is known throughout the world. The Ministry of Works refused to repair the Ciqing Palace and the Cining Palace because the two palaces were previously renovated in the second year of the Wanli reign. They are still magnificent and need not cost the Ministry of Works money."

Hear this.

Little Wanli curled his lips and looked at Shen Nian, saying, "What you just said is almost exactly the same as the proposal of the Prime Minister. You are really becoming more and more like the Prime Minister!"

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. I am still far from being the Prime Minister!" Shen Nian said shamelessly, as if the young Wanli was praising him.

Young Wanli looked at the memorial with helplessness.

"The gentry and merchants of the world are extravagant and spend money like water. Their food and drink expenses are all beyond the control of etiquette. Don't think I don't know about this. And then there are those officials in Nanjing who hold official banquets and family banquets every day, drink and gather in famous temples and gardens, and discuss Zen and metaphysics. Don't think I don't know about this? The late emperor often talked about practicing frugality, but when did he ever practice frugality..."

Hearing this, Shen Nian quickly walked out and said, "Your Majesty, don't speak nonsense!"

"I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore!" Little Wanli lowered his head again to review the memorials.

When Feng Bao and Shen Nian were around, he especially liked to complain.

He knew that Feng Bao would keep it a secret for him, and that Shen Nian would not record such groundless nonsense in his daily records.

At this moment, in the eyes of little Wanli.

The so-called "An emperor should practice frugality himself" is just a face-saving thing to show off to others.

In order to maintain the royal dignity and demonstrate the royal temperament, it is impossible to live a frugal life.

Shen Nian was not surprised to hear this from little Wanli.

Although the young Wanli never left the palace, from the words of the Jinyiwei, from Feng Bao, and from a bunch of idle books, how could he not know that the gentry and wealthy businessmen of the time all advocated luxury!

In today's world, many people are extravagant and few people advocate frugality.

Some businessmen's family banquets were filled with gold cups and silver bowls, and hundreds of dishes, comparable to royal banquets.

What made young Wanli dissatisfied was that everyone in the world was proud of being frugal, but he was the only one who was forced to be frugal.

He even thought that this was an infringement on the imperial power, and that only after he took power could he spend money according to his own ideas.

Seeing that the young Wanli was a little unhappy, Feng Bao immediately whispered a few words to him.

After hearing this, the young Wanli smiled instantly. He glanced at the dragon robe on his body and said with a smile, "I still like this frugal name."

After saying that, the young Wanli crossed out the word "I know" on the Ministry of Works' memorial and changed it to: As proposed.

Then, little Wanli looked at Shen Nian.

"Editor Shen, I expect you to write a few more sentences for today's diary!"

After saying this, little Wanli raised his chin, looking very proud.

Only in front of Feng Bao and Shen Nian would he show this youthful nature without any scruples.

Shen Nian was completely confused.

The daily lecture was about to end, and he was already prepared. Today's diary would only include one sentence: Lecture in Wenhua Hall.

After a while.

In the main hall of Wenhua Hall, the daily lectures continued.

Just as the meeting was about to end, the young Wanli suddenly stood up, lifted up his dragon robe, and asked, "Prince, what color is this robe?"

"Blue!" Zhang Juzheng replied.

The emperor's daily attire was mostly a dragon robe in blue, black or purple, with green piping.

Little Wanli shook his head slightly.

"It's not blue, it's purple. I wore it for too long, causing it to fade and turn blue."

Hearing this, Shen Nian immediately understood why the young Wanli thought Shen Nian needed to write a few more sentences in his daily notes.

He was seeking praise, waiting for Zhang Juzheng to praise him, so as to gain a good reputation as a frugal emperor.

After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng first looked at the dragon robe and then replied seriously: "Since this color fades easily, Your Majesty should make fewer."

"Back then, Emperor Sejong never indulged in extravagance in his clothing, only replacing his robes when they were worn out. The late emperor, on the other hand, always wore new robes. I hope Your Majesty will follow Emperor Sejong's example. For every piece of clothing Your Majesty saves, dozens of ordinary people will have clothes to wear. For every piece of clothing Your Majesty throws away, dozens of ordinary people will suffer from the cold..."

Zhang Juzheng's face was serious as he told the young Wanli the great truth that an emperor should be frugal.

At this moment, little Wanli's face was almost turning black.

Feng Bao, who was standing by, also looked helpless, as this strategy was proposed by him.

He thought Zhang Juzheng would praise the emperor for his frugality, but he never expected that what he got in return was a long scolding.

not far away.

Shen Nian almost laughed out loud. Given Zhang Juzheng's personality, how could he praise little Wanli just because his clothes faded?

At this moment, a sentence suddenly popped up in Shen Nian's mind: Four seasons' common clothes, only eight sets.

In fact, Emperor Jiajing was not very frugal.

Although he did not dress particularly well, he had tens of thousands of people serving him in the palace, and he spent a lot of money on building palaces outside.

However, Zhang Juzheng admired Emperor Jiajing very much and always used him as an example to reprimand the young Wanli.

After hearing this, the young Wanli replied helplessly but respectfully: "Yuanfu is right, I understand!"

At dusk that day, in the editing hall of the Hanlin Academy.

Shen Nian held up the daily register, smiling as he wrote on it: "The Emperor is giving lectures in the Wenhua Hall." The Emperor held up his imperial robe to show his ministers, including Ju Zheng, and asked, "What color is this robe?" Ju Zheng replied, "Is it blue?" The Emperor replied, "It's purple. After wearing it for a long time, it becomes stained, so I thought it was blue..." (see picture).

……

August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, but officials have no holiday.

Near dusk.

After the court was dismissed, Shen Nian came out of the Hanlin Academy and just as he walked onto East Chang'an Street, he heard bursts of noise.

Those who were making noise were all students taking part in the provincial examination today.

Today is the last day of the provincial examination. After the exam, countless people will release their stress in various ways.

Those who are wealthy and are sure that they will pass the imperial examination will usually set up a banquet, gather friends and relatives, and have a feast.

Some people would go to Hualiu Hutong to listen to music and have fun; some people would pick up their hobbies of raising birds, playing with insects, and fishing in the lake again.

Others would write their own political proposals and theories on state governance in an attempt to gain an opportunity to participate in the Double Ninth Festival.

Of course, there are also poor people.

After the exam, he went to work as a notary or fortune teller the next day.

The so-called poor scholar and rich juren refers to the hurdle of the provincial examination.

As long as one can become a juren, businessmen will immediately come to give advice on how to buy land and lend money, and how to make a lot of money legally and in compliance with regulations.

There were even some businessmen who would sponsor the candidates for free, and once they got an official position, they would go to the candidate's office and rely on his power to earn the money back.

These few days are destined to be a carnival day for this group of students.

Having been suppressed for too long, they would certainly wander around various teahouses, restaurants, brothels and willow alleys in the capital, and even leave behind poems and essays about talented men and beautiful women.

……

On August 16, the regular court session ended and the daily lectures began.

Near noon, in the side hall of Wenhua Hall.

Young Wanli reviewed memorials and called on officials to respond from time to time.

As the recorder of daily life, Shen Nian was checking the homework of the young Wanli on the orders of Zhang Juzheng.

"boom!"

at this time.

The young Wanli suddenly slapped the imperial desk, then said to Feng Bao, "Call the three elders in at the same time!"

Shen Nian was startled. Little Wanli's expression clearly showed that something big had happened.

soon.

Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang and Zhang Siwei, who were resting next door, walked in quickly.

Young Wanli handed a memorial to Feng Bao and said, "The three elders, please take a look at this memorial first."

Immediately, Feng Baoxian handed the memorial to Zhang Juzheng.

After reading it, Zhang Juzheng's face suddenly turned gloomy.

After reading it, Lu Diaoyang knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have not taught my son well. I am guilty. Please punish me!"

After reading it, Zhang Siwei's expression turned serious.

Shen Nian couldn't help but be stunned. What happened that made the three elders look so serious and made Lu Diaoyang kneel on the ground and say that he didn't teach his son well enough?

Young Wanli angrily exclaimed, "Are these still students selected by the imperial court? These people, who haven't even passed the imperial examination, actually... actually... dare to indulge in drinking in the gardens, gather in groups to visit prostitutes, drink tea from silver-rimmed cups, serve wine from gilded cups, have a hundred kinds of dishes, fifty servants, and... and even singing girls from the Jiaofangsi appear? Are there still etiquette and laws in our Great Ming? Are there still royal laws?"

When Shen Nian heard this, he immediately understood what had happened.

It must be that some students who participated in the provincial examination held a luxurious and erotic banquet that violated etiquette to celebrate the end of the examination.

Shen Nian was not surprised when he heard about the extravagant drinking in the garden, the group visiting prostitutes, the lavish spending of gold and silver, the hundreds of kinds of dishes, and the fifty servants.

As a Jiangnan native, he knew that some students, after taking the examination, not only recruited skinny boys from Yangzhou, but also had the bad habit of "taking pleasure from naughty children".

This made Shen Nian feel quite disgusted.

In the past few days, young Wanli felt that the reputation of being frugal was preventing him from fulfilling his filial piety. Now that such a thing happened in the capital, he was naturally furious.

What made him most angry was that singing girls from the Jiaofangsi were present at the private banquet.

You should know that the singing girls of the Jiaofangsi were under the Ministry of Rites.

Without the signature of the relevant officials from the Ministry of Rites, even if officials used musicians from the Jiaofangsi for official banquets, it would be against the law.

The scholars who attended the meeting did not have this power, so there must have been public officials involved.

Shen Nian thought of what Lu Diaoyang said about not educating his children strictly, and perhaps Lu Diaoyang's son Lu Xingzhou was also involved.

He had already passed the imperial examination three years ago, so it was likely that he was invited.

According to Shen Nian's understanding, Lu Xingzhou has always been known for his honesty, love of poetry and books, and dislike of women.

He also met Lu Xingzhou several times.

Based on the other party's personality and intelligence, she really should not come to such a banquet, and it is even more impossible for her to use her father's power to violate the rules and order the singing girls from the Jiaofangsi to perform at a private banquet.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng walked out slowly.

"Your Majesty, the students' banquet is immoral and must be thoroughly investigated. However, at this point, this is only the personal opinion of Li Dai, the Minister of Rites. There is no evidence to prove that Lord Lu's son was present and violated etiquette. I suggest that Lord Lu handle official business normally within the cabinet. This matter will be jointly investigated by the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. We will then determine the fault after the results are found."

Little Wanli nodded and said, "Let's follow the Prime Minister's advice."

Immediately, the lecture ended and everyone left.

……

In the afternoon, just as Shen Nian entered the editing office of the Hanlin Academy, he saw a folk tabloid with a picture on it.

The painting is titled: "Zhang Yuan Candidate Drunken Picture." (Example Picture, Beggar's Edition)
Zhang Garden is a garden outside the capital, where most large banquets for dignitaries in the capital are held.

In the painting.

Scholars and men, dressed in thin shirts or even with their shirts bare, raised their glasses to drink, and prostitutes, dressed in narrow jackets and long skirts, were interspersed among them.

There are all kinds of delicacies on the table.

If the people of the world saw that the candidates who were about to become their parents and officials all had this kind of virtue, their hatred for the court would probably increase even more.

People everywhere don’t want such kind of officials!

In addition, the tabloid also stated that this was not just a gathering of more than 30 "scholars", but also involved many businessmen, who had even begun to discuss future cooperation between officials and businessmen.

These remarks sparked widespread discussion among the people.

Some people even shouted: Few students nowadays have the ambition to become kings like Yao and Shun. They all become officials to make money and enjoy themselves.

What surprised Shen Nian was that what happened last night had spread to every corner of the capital by noon today, faster than the official documents of the court. It was really unbelievable.

These candidates or prospective candidates are all smart people. They cannot be unaware of the importance of privacy and the impact of being exposed for visiting prostitutes on their future careers.

How could it be exposed in such detail that even the paintings were exposed?

This was obviously done deliberately by someone.

It may be to make things difficult for these candidates, or it may just be to show off the luxury of such a scene.

at the same time.

The cabinet's second-in-command, Lu Diaoyang, submitted a memorial and resigned in tears.

This time he really resigned, and he resigned very decisively. He cried so hard in the cabinet that even Zhang Juzheng couldn't persuade him to stop.

Lu Diaoyang was a very traditional scholar-official. Although he held a high position, he was able to maintain poverty. When he taught, he always emphasized morality before art.

This was also how he educated his children. He never expected that his usually sturdy son would be involved in such a thing.

It is natural that the young Wanli would not allow him to retire, and Lu Diaoyang is still indispensable in the current cabinet.

It was almost dusk, after the government office was dismissed.

As Shen Nian walked out of the Hanlin Academy, he noticed a man in a gray robe in the distance shouting, "Editor Shen, can we talk? I have something important to report to you."

Shen Nian took a closer look and found that it was Tang Xianzu from Linchuan.

(End of this chapter)