Di Ming

Chapter 84 Peace Talisman (Please Subscribe)
Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, accompanied by Ning Qingchen and escorted by Lan Cha and Ding Hongying, rode in a carriage straight to Nanjing.

Soon we entered Fengtai Gate. When we passed Jubao Mountain again, we found that many people were carrying incense, candles and sesame oil to worship Buddha.

Many people coming down the mountain carried amulets for protection.

They all went to Dabaoguo Temple, Nengren Temple, and Xitian Temple to pray for Hai Rui.

It wasn't just the common people who brought the elderly and children, but also the garrison soldiers who rushed from the training ground.

Many familiar people greet each other with a greeting upon meeting:
"Peace is a blessing! You've come too! How are your legs?"

"Fortunately! Hai Qingtian is seriously ill, so all we can do is burn incense and pray to Buddha for his well-being!"

"Aunt, why are you going out of town? Can you even walk?"

"Even if I can't climb, I have to climb. I'm going to Dabaoguo Temple to ask Hai Qingtian for a peace charm."

"In my opinion, Hai Qingtian has served the people for decades, and it's time for him to rest. He's a celestial being, a reincarnation of Bao Zheng! He should return to heaven!"

"Yes! You're right! But we still can't bear to part with him. There's only one Hai Qingtian in our nation!"

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei were deeply moved as they watched the crowds entering and leaving the temple.

Today is not a holiday. But the people of Nanjing acted together for Hai Rui, and it felt like a holiday.

Previously, when I saw plays describing how beloved the people were by upright officials in ancient times, I thought it was an exaggeration or artistic embellishment.

Because in their later lives, they never witnessed this scene.

What kind of exaggerated claims are these, like "loving the people like one's own children" or "leaving behind a legacy of love"?

Are there wolves in the world that don't eat meat?
Do not believe.

However, upon witnessing this scene, Zhu Yin realized that he had underestimated the integrity of honest and upright officials in ancient times.

The gentlemen cultivated by these Confucian moral ethics often have two extreme personalities.

Or they are hypocrites who say one thing but mean another, and these are the majority of people.

But a few are true gentlemen and men of integrity. And once they are true gentlemen, they are of the highest caliber!

Do hypocrites hate true gentlemen?

hatred.

Because they couldn't do it themselves, they felt ostracized and regarded each other as outsiders.

Do hypocrites love true gentlemen?

Love.

And there's more love than hate!
Because they cannot do it, the reputation and banner of a virtuous person need to be carried and upheld by true virtuous people.

They need true gentlemen to shelter them from the wind and rain, to maintain the existence of gentlemanly morality, so that they can continue to be hypocrites under this halo.

When true gentlemen are gone, hypocrites can no longer act as gentlemen and can only degenerate into petty people, thus being completely exposed.

Just like in later societies, hypocrites have disappeared.

Therefore, even hypocrites should love true gentlemen.

This is why many officials joined the common people in praying for Hai Rui's well-being.

We can't be as incorruptible and upright as you, but having you here is better than having none at all.

Zhu Yin also underestimated the people of this era.

People's eyes are sharp.

They're not stupid.

There is a scale in one's heart that can weigh heaven and earth, and measure right and wrong!
No matter how vast the world is, or how far away the emperor is, none of them can escape their scales.

This scale is the will of the people!

Zhu Yin suddenly remembered that after Hai Rui died, his estate consisted of only eight taels of silver.

Wang Yongji was moved to tears.

He spent decades in officialdom, eventually rising to the position of Censor-in-Chief.

He left behind several boxes of books and eight taels of silver.

Historical records state that after Hai Rui's death, the entire city wept, the citizens closed their shops, and the whole country grieved! Emperor Wanli wept and issued an edict to hold a public memorial service for Hai Rui, and the people who came to see him off stretched for more than a hundred miles.

Even years after his death, as late as the early Qing Dynasty, there were still Ming loyalists who never forgot him.

How long ago was the history of our homeland?

The old man still remembers the blue sky and the sea.

Even in the old ancestral hall in a distant village,
Incense still burns before the temple.

What's so great about being favored by the emperor? Being favored by the people is what makes a true hero and a great man.

"Young master, young lady! Please wear the amulet I obtained for Hai Qingtian, it's free!"

A man carrying a bamboo basket full of amulets said, and put two amulets into the carriage.

"Wearing the amulet that was obtained for Hai Qingtian is a way of sending him a blessing."

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei accepted the simple amulets together and wore them around their necks.

A peace charm, for protection and safety.

Another year has passed peacefully.

Ning Caiwei said with deep emotion, "I really didn't expect that Old Man Hai's popularity would reach this level. To achieve this is the greatest success a person can have."

She whispered, "It's a pity that although Old Man Hai is an upright official and a moral exemplar, his political acumen is only so-so."

Zhu Yin shook his head dismissively. "You're too influenced by those strange tales and theories from later generations. Well, you don't really like history anyway." "There's a ridiculous but widespread viewpoint, a completely illogical assertion that ancient upright officials were only morally superior, but utterly incompetent in other aspects. They're said to be incompetent, bad at handling affairs, stubborn, and pedantic."

"I don't know where this inexplicable stereotype comes from."

"It's as if anyone who is morally upright and honest is incompetent."

"Any corrupt official or treacherous minister must have some ability."

"The claims that Wen Tianxiang lacked political ability, Yue Fei lacked competence, and Hai Rui was pedantic are all just arguments about the incompetence of upright officials."

"The bizarre view that honest officials are incompetent is extremely harmful and has a far-reaching and harmful influence. Moreover, it is quite absurd."

"This is a deliberate attempt to confuse the public, whitewash corrupt officials, and belittle and vilify honest officials."

Ning Caiwei suddenly realized that she had also been influenced by this absurd viewpoint and had lost her own judgment.

Zhu Yin looked at the crowd outside the carriage and continued:
"It was Wen Tianxiang. Because he was a national hero and refused to surrender until his death, he was regarded by later generations as a bookish nerd who had no ability but only integrity."

"They practically want to say outright that high moral character equates to low intelligence, and integrity equates to incompetence. How malicious is this kind of view?"

"That's hilarious. In the Song Dynasty, becoming the top scholar required strong overall abilities. It wasn't just about being good at the Four Books and Five Classics or writing excellent essays."

"Wen Tianxiang single-handedly raised funds and provisions, recruited local militia, and fought against the Yuan army. After the Song army suffered a major defeat, he recovered lost territory several times and stabilized the situation at one point. He rose to the position of prime minister based on his military achievements. Is that incompetence?"

"After Wen Tianxiang was defeated and captured, the Yuan generals all rejoiced, saying that the Song army was no longer a threat."

"Liu Mengyan was a minister of the Song Dynasty, but also a treacherous minister. However, after he surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty, in order to gain merit by recommending Wen Tianxiang, he took the initiative to tell Kublai Khan that among the talents of the South, Wen Tianxiang was the foremost."

Kublai Khan personally persuaded Wen Tianxiang to surrender, promising him the position of Grand Chancellor if he did.

"Do they consider talent merely writing poetry? Did Kublai Khan value so-called talents who could only write poetry?"

"It is obvious that Wen Tianxiang was a man of unparalleled talent, but he was never given a prominent position. However, in the eyes of many people in later generations, he was an incompetent man who only had integrity but no ability."

Upon hearing this, Ning Caiwei was taken aback again and felt a little ashamed.

Because of the ingrained mindset she was raised with, it seemed that Wen Tianxiang was a man of principle but lacked ability.

It seems that integrity and ability are contradictory.

So ridiculous.

I don't know who instilled this viewpoint in me, but it seems I was naturally influenced by it.

Looking back now, these views were all toxic.

Zhu Yin continued, "And then there's Old Man Hai. He was just a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), yet he rose to the second rank and became a moral high ground in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom."

"But is he incompetent? He's a master detective."

"He started as a county magistrate and solved countless long-standing cases and handled numerous major events. He even dared to berate the Jiajing Emperor. Hu Zongxian, Yan Song, Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng... a whole host of big shots couldn't do anything about him."

"His reputation grew and his official position rose, and he lived to be over seventy years old, after which the world mourned his death. Was this due to incompetence or pedantry?"

"He adhered to principles, was honest and upright, was good at practical work, fair and impartial, dared to accept advice, had great political vision, and was able to control public opinion. He was a capable minister."

"If they were truly pedantic, they would have long since disappeared to some unknown place. There were plenty of pedantic moralists in the Ming Dynasty; who could possibly cause such a commotion as Hai Rui?"

"To call him pedantic and old-fashioned would be incredibly foolish. He'd be either stupid or wicked. Even if we take a step back, who isn't a top student who passed the imperial examination? Let alone the fact that he, as a mere scholar, rose to the rank of second grade."

"Such a capable minister has been completely distorted by stereotypes and demonized in various ways. He's been accused of killing women, being eccentric, and being withdrawn."

"Anyway, he's not a normal person."

"Okay, okay, I understand from now on." Ning Caiwei smiled brightly. "Look how excited you are. Aren't we going to treat him now?"

Zhu Yin was speechless. "No, I was just expressing my feelings. What's wrong with me getting excited?"

Ning Caiwei patted his hand affectionately to comfort him, then changed the subject:

"Now the problem is, we can't get into the Censor-in-Chief's residence. Although Hai Rui was honest and upright, he was still a second-rank official, a ministerial-level official."

"We are just commoners, how can we enter the Censorate?"

Zhu Yin was also in a bit of a dilemma.

Hai Rui was poor; his furniture consisted of rotten bamboo items that impoverished scholars rarely used. He had almost no pursuit of material comforts.

But he was still living in the Censorate's official residence.

He was the head of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, the top leader, and not someone that ordinary people could meet.

Let alone commoners, even officials of low rank would find it difficult to enter the official residence of the Censorate.

Zhu Yin thought for a moment and said, "I have a plan. Let's go directly to the Imperial Hospital!"

Ning Caiwei's eyes lit up. "Great idea! If we go to the Imperial Hospital, there will definitely be imperial physicians who have been ordered to go to the Censorate's residence to treat Hai Rui. If we can just persuade one of the imperial physicians to take us in, we can see Old Man Hai!"

"Little tiger brother, you're so smart! I really want to give you a kiss!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Qingchen, who was standing nearby, immediately kicked her little legs, her face displaying a fascinating expression.

How could you even say something like that?!

You're so shameless.

Mr. Ning, are you being reserved?
Flirting and bantering in front of a girl.

Exposed.

You're really something!

Show the girls what's what! All talk and no action!

snort!
P.S.: This is killing me, I can't get VIP access! It's always like this!!
This is Volume Two, *The Young Tiger Eats the Cow*. Volume One, *The Tiger's Stripes Haven't Yet Formed*, has ended. Volume One chapter titles were two characters each, Volume Two chapter titles were three characters each, and so on. Please continue to subscribe, thank you for your support! A few more chapters to go!

(End of this chapter)