Chapter 247 Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng Go Crazy
It is said that in the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, during the spring examination of the Renxu year, the chief examiner Yan Shaoting committed fraud for personal gain and leaked the test questions in advance.

Finally the truth came out.

The results are clear.

But it made everyone laugh and cry.

Yan Shaoting was also ridiculed by many people for this.

Things are simple.

It was this mediocre person who felt that he probably would not be able to pass the imperial examination in this subject. Then he heard about the incident in Yan Fuxiang and what Yan Shaoting said at that time.

In addition, when Changping Academy first started classes, he did not get a place and was unable to participate in Changping Academy's strategy of studying a large number of questions.

So I hold a grudge.

Then there was the complaint in front of the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen.

This is simply a ridiculous thing where the examinee let down his own defense and then blamed the examiner Yan Shaoting.

Although it's a bit funny to watch.

But it is what it is.

However, Yan Shaoting was considered a soft persimmon and was even framed by a candidate.

But he was relieved.

If this matter is not the case, and there are other things involved behind it, it will delay my own work.

However, after this incident.

Yan Shaoting quickly wrote a memorial, ready to take advantage of the topic.

Just wait until the palace examination is over and then present it to the old Taoist priest.

The memorial was very simple, with only a few numbers on the cover.

"Memorial to the Emperor Requesting the Imperial Court to Recruit Scholars in Different Regions and by Number"

The purpose is very simple, that is, under the current three lists of South, North and Central, it is urgently necessary to subdivide them into the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, and specify the specific number of admissions in each subject of the spring examination.

"Some people might use this as an excuse to attack the tutor and try to suppress the ambitions of students all over the world."

Xu Wei was reading Yan Shaoting's memorial which had not yet been submitted with some worry.

Yan Shaoting smiled and shook his head: "Enterprising spirit? The court recruits talents for the country, not for the local gentry to gather power in the court and the local party."

There was the Ming Dynasty.

There were the Donglin Party, the Zhejiang Party, the Chu Party, and so on.

But there has never been any Sichuan Party, Shu Party, Henan Party, Qi Party, or Lu Party.

Xu Wei also saw what Yan Shaoting was thinking. He whispered, "Is the purpose of the tutor to reduce the number of officials in the court from Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, etc?"

Yan Shaoting nodded: "The southeastern provinces are already rich, accounting for 70% of the country's fiscal revenue. If they are allowed to train officials, the country's important officials will all come from the southeast. Even if they have no party intentions, they have become a party in their own village!"

Xu Wei pondered for a moment.

Then I was surprised to find out.

Nowadays, in the court, it is indeed as the attendant tutor said, most of the important officials are from the southeast.

People.

There is always a hometown feeling.

Otherwise, there would be no such thing as fellow townsmen, classmates, and classmates.

But Xu Wei still hesitated: "If this matter is presented to the emperor by the attendant, I am afraid the attendant will face great pressure."

Yan Shaoting asked, "How did the Yong tribe handle it?"

Xu Wei thought for a moment and replied, "The matter has been investigated and Yongbu has confessed everything. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial College have issued an order in accordance with your majesty's order to strip Yongbu of all his merits and titles and to never employ him again."

Yan Shaoting smiled faintly: "This is just as his name suggests."

Xu Wei was a little confused.

"Does the tutor want to bring this matter up again to set up a trap?"

Without waiting for Yan Shaoting to speak.

Lu Yi jumped out from somewhere.

I saw my brother-in-law appear in front of me again.

Yan Shaoting finally took the lead and asked, "Did something happen again?"

Lu Yi's eyes lit up, and he opened his eyes wide with admiration: "Brother-in-law is amazing! He can predict the future! Something has happened..."

Yan Shaoting rolled his eyes.

I thought to myself, whenever a kid like you appears, something is bound to happen.

Any guesses?

Yan Shaoting waved his hand to stop his brother-in-law from talking nonsense: "Tell me, what happened again?"

"Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng are crazy!"

Lu Yi answered concisely.

Yan Shaoting went from lying on the rattan chair to sitting up straight.

Xu Wei also looked curious.

He couldn't help but ask, "Why did Lord Zhang and Censor Hai go crazy? One of them is in Huizhou Prefecture, and the other is on the way back to Beijing?"

Lu Yi nodded: "It is indeed as Mr. Xu said. Hai Rui is still in Huizhou Prefecture and Zhang Ge Lao is on his way back to Beijing, but they are indeed crazy."

Without waiting for Lu Yi to continue explaining.

Huang Jin had already found his way directly to Yan Shaoting in Yan's mansion without any obstruction.

The first time I met Yan Shaoting.

Huang Jin shouted, "Mr. Yan! Please get up quickly and follow me into the palace!"

Yan Shaoting stood up with a frown on his face: "What happened?"

Huang Jin stamped his feet, his face full of anxiety: "Old Zhang and that Hai Rui are both crazy. His Majesty has summoned the Cabinet, the six ministries, and the five temples to go to the Western Garden. You should follow me into the palace first, and you will understand when you arrive in front of His Majesty."

It seems like something really big has happened!
Otherwise, Huang Jin wouldn't be so panicked.

Yan Shaoting had no time to explain or ask, so he could only follow Huang Jin out of the Yan Mansion and head straight to the Wanshou Palace in the Western Garden.

When he arrived in front of the Wanshou Palace, he saw people from the six ministries and five temples rushing over in a panic.

There was no time to say hello to each other.

Huang Jin urged Yan Shaoting to enter the Wanshou Palace.

In the Wanshou Palace.

The old Taoist priest was sitting on the throne behind the pearl curtain.

The three people in the cabinet, Lao Yantou, Gao Gong, and Yuan Wei, were also sitting or standing.

Following that, Yan Shaoting and the six ministers and five temple junior officials came in.

Jiajing didn't say much, but looked coldly at Lu Fang beside him.

"Everyone is here."

Everyone bowed and shouted to pay homage to the emperor.

Jiajing waved his hand.

"Lv Fang, read."

Lu Fang stood behind a desk, looking at the two memorials in front of him that were as heavy as mountains, and glanced sideways at the emperor.

"Master...read the poem of Lord Zhang first...or the sea..."

Jiajing said coldly: "Read Hai Rui's first!"

Lu Fang nodded, then held up a memorial and faced everyone.

"I, Hai Rui, the Censor of the Censorate and the Deputy Magistrate of the Southern Zhili Provincial Governor's Office, report to Your Majesty:"

"I am now in Huizhou, South Zhili. I heard that since the reign of Emperor Taizu Hongwu, the silk tax for the people in She County, Huizhou Prefecture, totaled 6,146 taels." "Today, someone with arithmetic skills has found that this tax should be shared by the six counties of Huizhou Prefecture, but except She County, the other five counties have rejected it."

"Now the five counties are attacking She County, under the pretext of fighting over water for spring ploughing. The five counties are beating She County, and some people have died as a result. The prefecture and six counties of Huizhou are all silent, derelict in their duties, not thinking of listening to the people's opinions, not thinking of distinguishing the truth from the falsehood of taxes, and only seeking peace, protecting each other privately, and colluding with each other."

"I am far away from the capital, but I am happy to hear that the imperial court has begun to rectify the administration of officials this year because of the method of evaluating performance recommended by Yan Shaoting, the Imperial Academy Attendant."

"Now that Huizhou has come to this point, with one prefecture and six counties, they have disregarded the emperor's orders and have not thought about the administration of officials. I have seen and heard about the suffering of the people fighting privately, and I am deeply saddened."

"To protect the emperor's wisdom and benevolence, and to protect the justice and fairness of the court."

"Your Majesty, please give me your orders, Hai Rui."

"Behead Huang Ningdao, the prefect of Huizhou."

"Behead Song Ren, the magistrate of Huizhou."

"Behead the magistrate of She County."

"Behead the magistrate of Xiuning."

"Behead the magistrate of Jixi."

"Behead the magistrate of Qimen."

"Behead the magistrate of Wuyuan."

"Behead the chief clerk of She County."

"I again request Your Majesty to order the court to quickly send another official to take office to rectify the administration of the six counties in Huizhou, investigate the issue of silk and satin in Huizhou, quell the civil strife in the six counties of Huizhou, and spread the spirit of benevolence and serving the people in the court."

crazy!

This iron-headed kid Hai Rui is really crazy!

Even Yan Shaoting's eyes widened in shock after hearing this memorial.

Our Hai Yushi would rather not take any action.

With one move, the entire Huizhou Prefecture and six counties were all taken away by him.

But this is in line with Hai Gangfeng's character.

Since the current officials of Huizhou Prefecture are unable to solve the problem of silk and satin for the population.

Then kill them all.

Let's get another group of people to solve the problem.

This is very Hai Rui!

Minister of Rites Yan Ne immediately jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, Hai Rui is extremely arrogant! When..."

"Lü Fang continued reading."

Jiajing interrupted Yan Ne and cut him off.

Lu Fang glanced at the emperor.

He closed Hai Rui's memorial and put it down, then picked up the memorial presented by Zhang Juzheng.

When it comes to this article.

Even Lu Fang showed hesitation. He had clearly opened the memorial, but he did not dare to read out its contents for a long time.

"Read!"

Jiajing spoke out with emphasis.

In front of the bead curtain.

Gao Gong, Yuan Wei and others looked at each other.

Obviously, compared with the memorial from the mad Hai Rui, Zhang Juzheng's memorial was probably the one that would really stir up unrest in the court.

Behind the cabinet, officials from the six ministries and five temples also felt uneasy.

The news that Hai Rui wanted to kill all the officials of Huizhou Prefecture was already shocking.

And the memorial from Lord Zhang, which Lu Fang didn't even dare to read, is likely to make everyone unable to sleep well.

And after Lu Fang was urged by the emperor.

Finally he cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Juzheng, respectfully wish you the best of health and I will submit all matters for your approval."

The beginning of Zhang Juzheng's memorial was not as sharp as Hai Rui's.

But the next second.

Lu Fang then changed the subject.

"I was ordered by the Emperor to go to the southeast to supervise various national affairs. Now I have been summoned back to Beijing. When I set foot on both sides of the Grand Canal, what I saw and heard was horrifying. I was horrified and worried that if the country continues like this for a long time, it will surely perish!"

For an instant.

The entire Wanshou Palace was in uproar.

Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Taiyue, who is known for his insight and calmness, could actually say such words.

Even if we turn the Forbidden City upside down, we still can’t find it!

But Lu Fang continued to speak.

"I was stationed in Suzhou Prefecture, changing cotton to mulberry, and promoting national policies. I learned that there were countless hidden secrets in the fields of the two prefectures. Then I followed the order to survey the fields of the two prefectures. Now the land obtained by the two prefectures can double the annual tax. This one place and one incident can show that the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our dynasty are already everywhere. The national treasury has been in deficit for a long time. The people are grieving, and there are frozen bones on the road. There are countless graves in the countryside, and the bones are more miserable than the teeth of wild dogs.

"Corrupt officials and cruel officials run rampant and ignore the laws of the country. They eat the people's flesh and blood, and their belly is full of flesh and blood. The rural gentry oppress and exploit, countless refugees, nine empty houses in the village, the common people are treated as tenants, and like concubines, the moral order is reversed, and human relations are unclear. Under the luxurious houses, there are bones, and above the temples, there are skins and flesh.

"The canal is clearly the present dynasty, but I seem to be seeing the tyrant Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, driving a dragon boat to the south of the Yangtze River. There are thousands of boatmen on both sides of the river, and the ropes are deeply encroaching on the shoulders. If one person falls, two people will take his place. The common people are like ants, while the officials, gentry and dignitaries on the dragon boats will die first.

"The Huaiyang area is a thousand miles of fertile land, all of which are of the first class. The two banks of the Yangtze River have been fertile since ancient times and have satisfied the world. But now the thousand miles of land on both sides of the Huaiyang area are all owned by the royal family, the powerful, the officials, and the gentry. The people are no longer the people, but servants. They have no place to live and no grave to die.

"The learning style along the way is exaggerated. Everyone wants to be a saint and wise man. They are eloquent but do not know the five grains. When traveling on the river, they say that the writings of saints and wise men are enough to fertilize the fields. The peasants of Guizhou are crude and unsophisticated like livestock. They do not need enough food to encourage themselves to work in the fields. They are called two-legged beasts.

"On my way back to the capital, I received reports from the imperial court and learned about various matters in the court. I was pleased to hear that Yan Shaoting, the Imperial Academy tutor, had proposed a method of reviewing the performance of officials in order to promote the reform of the administration of officials. I respect the tutor and know that he is blessed by the emperor and is planning to serve the country. However, I also feel that the tutor is young and has not thought about everything. He can only reform the administration of officials and cannot help the country in times of crisis.

"I started as a soldier and was promoted to the cabinet, where I was involved in state affairs. The emperor's grace was great, and I was personally taught by him. I knew the emperor's orders, so I dared not slack off.

"I have traveled a thousand miles back to the capital, and I have already covered half of it. My eyes are bloodshot, and I have nightmares all night long. I still see the chaos that is coming to our dynasty, with corpses floating for thousands of miles and tens of thousands of refugees. It will only take one day for the country to fall.

"To repay the emperor's kindness and to protect the country.

I, Zhang Juzheng, would like to make a statement in defiance of my death, and I ask Your Majesty to approve it..."

After reading this, Lu Fang finally shut up.

He really didn't dare to read any further.

Just reading the first half of the article made me feel cold all over and cold sweat broke out on my back.

How dare Mr. Zhang do that!
How dare you say such presumptuous and arrogant words!

Everyone present in the cabinet, six ministries, and five temples was shocked.

crazy.

Really crazy!
Hai Rui was already crazy, and now Zhang Juzheng is even crazier!
These two lunatics dare to say anything!
Jiajing snorted coldly and glanced at Yan Shaoting who was present.

"Yan Shaoting."

The emperor's voice seemed to come from the abyss, making people break out in cold sweats.

Yan Shaoting immediately bowed and knelt on the ground.

"Wei Chen is here."

Jiajing looked at him coldly, and said, "Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng both mentioned you in their memorials. Lü Fang doesn't dare to read them, so you should finish reading them!"

Yan Shaoting raised his head.

There was a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

This is just an unprovoked disaster for me!

Memorials from Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng.

What does it have to do with me!
…………

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

(End of this chapter)