The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 323 The stupid young man fights for the country’s foundation again

The publication of the evil book caused an uproar in the capital.

This Qin Xucheng is really bold in writing this. Not only did he make irresponsible comments on the dethronement and enthronement of the emperor, he also scolded the cabinet ministers and the six ministers.

To be honest, this guy is really brave.

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the six ministers are not people that ordinary people can scold. Even if this guy has real evidence, he cannot scold them like that.

What's more, this guy has no real evidence, he's just cursing!

After this scolding, the Zhejiang Party officials seemed to be wronged, and their faces were full of grievance and indignation.

Perhaps, most of them do not know the truth and do not know who wrote this evil book.

Those young and inexperienced people in the Qingliu sect were actually eager to try and wanted to submit a petition to establish a crown prince!
Perhaps, they all thought that this evil book was written by some reckless young man from Qingliu.

What’s weird is that Wanli seemed not to have seen the evil book and didn’t react at all!

If he had been like that before, he would have been furious by now.

Why didn't he say anything this time?
He didn't want to fall into the Zhejiang Party's trap, so he pretended not to see it.

This made the Zhejiang Party very depressed.

The Demonic Book Case was a vicious plot they had carefully planned. As long as Wanli fell into the trap, they could kill three birds with one stone.

The three sculptures are Wanli, the Imperial Party and the Qingliu.

If Wanli became furious after seeing the evil book and ordered a thorough investigation, they would have found many suspicious people.

These people are related to the Imperial Party and the Qingliu. Once they are found out, many members of the Imperial Party and the Qingliu will be implicated, and even Shen Li and his disciples will be implicated.

Even if Wanli did not deal with the imperial party and only dealt with the clean forces, they would still make a lot of money.

If the Qingliu fall into the trap again and take advantage of the situation to stir up a dispute over the national foundation, they will be able to cause a complete break between Wanli and the Qingliu, and fight to the death!
Countless people were implicated in the evil book cases in history. Some were so scared that they resigned directly, some were dismissed from office and stripped of their official titles, and some were even thrown into prison and tortured to death.

However, all this has a prerequisite, that is, Wanli must be furious and order a thorough investigation.

Now Wanli pretended not to have seen the evil book and had no reaction at all. This made it really difficult to deal with the Zhejiang Party.

If Wanli had not issued an edict, they would have found a bunch of suspicious people. Isn't this just trying to cover up one's own guilt?
They were clearly removed from the evil book, as if they had nothing to do with it. If Wanli had not issued an edict, they would have taken the initiative to investigate. Even a fool could see that there was something wrong with them.

Wanli didn't say a word, and the imperial party didn't move, so they couldn't shoot the two eagles.

They can only see Qingliu's reaction.

Is there anyone in Qingliu who is so stupid?

It's hard to say, because Wang Xijue and Xu Guo have already moved closer to Donglin, and Han Yu even considers himself a Donglin member. Once these guys get involved, who knows whether the young and inexperienced people of the Qingliu group will be mixed up by them.

Regardless of whether Qingliu is stupid or not, this group of Zhang Siwei's old friends definitely want Qingliu and Wanli to fight to the death.

Fortunately, Wanli was not a fool. He had ordered Luo Sigong to keep a close eye on Zhang Siwei's old gang.

Early in the morning at about noon, he had just arrived at the imperial study when Luo Sigong came running to ask for a meeting.

After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, Luo Sigong pulled out a list and said carefully, "Your Majesty, these past few days, Han Yu has been sneaking out of the palace in a carriage after dark to visit Qingliu. He visited these people."

Wanli took the list and looked at it, and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

Ye Xianggao, Cui Jingrong, Zhang Wenda, Gao Panlong, Feng Congwu, etc., all of them were Donglin, and they were all Jinshi after the tenth year of Wanli.

Is Han Yu trying to make friends with Donglin or is he looking for some young and inexperienced people?
Could these people be young and inexperienced?
He was just pondering it secretly when Shen Li came in personally holding a stack of memorials.

After the emperor and his ministers exchanged greetings, Shen Li held up the memorial and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue's Attendant, Meng Yanghao, has submitted a memorial requesting the establishment of a crown prince."

Meng Yanghao, the Secretary of the Household Department?

Wanli took the memorial, opened the first one and couldn't help but snort coldly.

Is this guy seeking death?

The memorial was full of nonsense, as if it was teaching him how to behave as an emperor.

Unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth, Shen Li quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I dare to ask that Meng Yanghao not be executed."

What is this guy's background?
The Jieshi Zhong is only of the seventh rank, and should be a Jinshi in the recent subjects.

Upon hearing this, Wanli suddenly realized, "Is he still your disciple?"

Shen Li nodded repeatedly and said, "I cannot afford to accept this disciple."

You still can't afford it?
Wanli couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is this guy?"

Shen Li explained: "Your Majesty, he is a descendant of Mencius, the second sage, and is listed in the Meng family tree." This guy is a descendant of Mencius!

When Wanli heard this, he was stunned.

This guy has a very important background.

Today's scholars learn the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. After Confucius, everyone was granted the title of Yansheng Duke, and no one dared to touch him.

Would he dare to move after Mencius?
Maybe some people just want him to move!

He was stunned for a moment, then asked, "In which year did Meng Yanghao become a Jinshi? How come I have no idea?"

Shen Li said without hesitation: "Meng Yanghao was a Jinshi in the 11th year of the Wanli reign, ranking 154th among the top three."

Oh, the top three are all at the back, it’s normal that he didn’t notice it.

This guy was a Jinshi in the 11th year of Wanli. Ye Xianggao, Cui Jingrong and Zhang Wenda were also Jinshi in the 11th year of Wanli.

It is obvious that Han Yu has been looking for the young man these days. This guy did not look for him by himself, but asked Ye Xianggao, Cui Jingrong and Zhang Wenda to help him find him.

It is very likely that Han Yu wanted him to kill Meng Yanghao!

If Meng Yanghao chops it, the consequences will be unimaginably serious.

He is at odds with those civil servants with ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean he has to be at odds with all the scholars in the world.

These are two concepts.

He also needs to cultivate a group of obedient royal party to help him govern the world.

If he killed Mencius' descendants in anger, all the scholars in the world would probably hate him in their hearts.

Can he jump into such a huge pit?

He is not a fool.

The problem is, if he doesn't kill those young and inexperienced people, they will probably fight with him endlessly for the foundation of the country.

How to do?
Wanli frowned and pondered for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "This man must be thrown into the imperial prison."

what?
Upon hearing this, Shen Li couldn't help but said anxiously, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that this person cannot be touched. If he is touched, the consequences will be disastrous."

Who said I was going to touch him?
Wanli shook his head slightly and said, "I will just throw him into the imperial prison to warn the young and ignorant people. I will not torture him."

So how long are you going to keep him locked up?

Forget it, it’s better not to ask such questions.

Just be sure you don't intend to kill Mencius' descendants. This guy really can't be killed.

Shen Li thought for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Wanli waved his hand slightly, signaling him to withdraw, and then said to Luo Sigong: "Go and convey my oral order. Have Lu Yi personally lead the Jinyiwei to imprison Meng Yanghao. Remember, tell him to be careful. They should not take action unless this guy takes action."

Not long after, Jinyiwei's commander-in-chief Lu Yi personally led his troops to surround the Ministry of Revenue.

Soon, Meng Yanghao was escorted out by two teams of Jinyiwei.

Meng Yanghao just looked up at the sky with his nose turned to people, but he did not resist or struggle. The Jinyiwei did not beat him, but took him to the Northern Pacification Office.

Meng Yanghao, the Imperial Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, was thrown into the imperial prison.

When Qingliu heard the news, there was an uproar.

However, this time no young man dared to jump out and cause trouble.

The young and ignorant people in Qingliu are not stupid people. They are well aware of the consequences of causing trouble.

After the second sage Mencius, they were all thrown into prison. Will the young emperor be polite to them?

After the young emperor knew that Meng Yanghao was the second sage, he probably endured it and threw him into prison.

They are not descendants of saints. If they dare to cause trouble, they will probably be killed with a knife.

Everyone was waiting to see what Wanli would do with this second sage.

The Zhejiang Party, the Qingliu Party, and the Donglin Party were all watching.

So, what will Wanli do to Meng Yanghao?

He decided to meet the guy in person.

(End of this chapter)