The Yude Palace consists of two courtyards. The main hall in the front courtyard is five bays wide and has a yellow glazed tile hip roof.

The double-crossed four-diamond-shaped windows were covered with red blessing characters, red lanterns were hung under the eaves, and spring couplets were posted on the doors, but the palace servants were all silent, and many of them had bruises on their faces. It seemed that Emperor Wanli had replaced the New Year's firecrackers with whipping to prevent fire.

The whole palace was like a ghost cave, without a trace of joy.

After Wei Chao went in to pass on the message, he led Zhao Shouzheng and others into the western warm room. The imperial couch was facing east, and Wanli was wearing Yanfu, a net scarf on his head, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes, and he was leaning on the couch sickly.

The five university scholars hurriedly knelt facing west and congratulated in unison: "New Year's Day, may Your Majesty live a long and happy New Year. We are overjoyed to congratulate you."

Wanli nodded, raised his hand slightly, and said in a hoarse voice: "Happy New Year to all my dear ministers. Please take your seats."

Zhao Shouzheng and the others kowtowed again and said, "It has been a long time since we last saw the emperor's face. We are so sad that we miss him so much. We respectfully hope that he will be well again."

She kowtowed again and again, wishing the emperor a speedy recovery, and then sat down on the brocade cushion.

Wanli shook his head and said dejectedly: "My illness is already chronic. Who knows if I can get better?"

"The emperor is in the prime of his life, and is full of energy. As long as he takes care of himself, he will be pregnant without taking any medicine. There is no need to worry." Seeing that the emperor started to play the victim, several university scholars hurried to comfort Wanli, reminding him that he was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and not old enough to play the victim.

"After I sent Prince Lu away last autumn, I missed him too much, and the fire in my heart and liver meridians kept rising. I felt dizzy and my chest was bloated, so I had to stay in bed to recuperate."

Wanli explained shamelessly. I don't care whether they believe it or not. I am sick, I am sick, I am sick. If I tell them too much, they will believe it.

As he spoke, he could no longer suppress his anger and said:

"I finally recovered and was ready for a new year, but Luo Yuren slandered me, which angered me and caused my liver fire to flare up. I am now sick again!"

You see, I was so angry at that Luo guy that my old illness relapsed. He is so evil.

Zhao Shouzheng and others hurried to comfort the emperor, saying that the emperor's body was of great importance to many people, the spirits of the ancestors and the two mothers of the two palaces all relied on the emperor, and the people of the world needed the emperor's protection even more, so the emperor should be protected doubly.

"A few ignorant ministers, rebellious and reckless, are not enough to move the emperor." Zhao Shouzheng passed on his experience of swallowing a spit in the face to the emperor and said, "Why would the emperor care about him? It's not worth arguing with him."

Shen Shixing and others also nodded, indicating that they were used to being scolded.

Wanli snorted, picked up the crumpled memorial beside him, and handed it to Zhao Shouzheng personally, saying:

"Sir, please read what he wrote first. He accused me of being a drunkard, a womanizer, a moneybag, and a tyrant. Sir, please judge for me whether I am such a person!"

Zhao Shouzheng quickly took it and read it. Although he had heard Hai Rui briefly introduce the contents of this memorial, seeing is believing. It is really hard to know until you see it. It was shocking. Isn't this too outrageous? How can you curse so harshly? Not to mention the emperor, even ordinary people would fight you to the death...

But why is it so enjoyable to watch? I feel like I have expressed my inner thoughts. It feels so good, and my eyes don’t even have double vision anymore…

He was watching from this side, and Wanli angrily defended himself over there:

"He said that I love wine. Who in the world doesn't drink? Although dancing with a sword after drinking is indeed not the behavior of an emperor, I only do it occasionally. There is no need to make a big deal out of it."

Several university scholars nodded, thinking to themselves, aren't you dizzy and weak in the knees? How come you can dance with swords after drinking?

"He also said that I am lustful and favor Concubine Zheng. But he didn't know that whenever I go to a palace, she will always follow me. She is the only one who carefully serves me day and night, and is really hardworking. As for Concubine Wang Gong, doesn't she have the eldest son to take care of? Mother and son depend on each other, so she can't serve me day and night. How can he say that I am partial?"

The Grand Secretaries thought, Concubine Zheng also has a third son...

"As for the accusation that I am greedy for money, I have been protecting Zhang Jing because I was bribed by him. I really laughed. I am the Son of Heaven, rich in the world. All the land under heaven belongs to the king. All the wealth in the world belongs to me. Have you ever seen anyone greedy for his own wealth? If I were greedy for Zhang Jing's wealth, why didn't I just confiscate it from him?!"

Zhao Shouzheng and the others thought, I have really seen him before, isn't he the one in front of me? It is true that you are rich, but you can't really not consider yourself an outsider. Everyone's money is your money...

"Some people also say that I value temper. What a good temper I have!!" Wanli's face flushed red, and he said with trembling cheeks, "The ancients said that the 'three taboos' are to abstain from sex when young, to abstain from fighting when middle-aged, and to abstain from both when old. Don't I know such a simple truth? But everyone has temper. For example, a master also has servants and family members. If they make a mistake, won't they be punished? The same is true in the palace. The country has its laws, and the palace has its rules. Those who violate them will be punished with caning. But most of the palace people died of illness. How can you say that I beat them to death?"

Emperor Wanli avoided the main point and made a weak defense before revealing his true purpose. "Sir, take this and I will issue a severe punishment!"

He wanted to see which side these civil servants would choose between him and Luo Yuren.

Zhao Shouzheng took a deep breath, bowed and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, please calm down. This is an ignorant minister who listened to rumors and made a rash and disrespectful report..."

"He is not reckless at all, he is just deliberately trying to gain fame!" Wanli interrupted Zhao Shouzheng rudely, banging the big pillow, and his fierce look did not look sick at all. His roar resounded in the warm room:

"These fame-seeking lunatics actually want to step on me to become famous! Do they really think my sword is not sharp enough?!"

Zhao Shouzheng was also a little dumbfounded. He had never seen Wanli so angry before. It seemed that this time the muddy water was not so easy to smooth over. If he failed to appease the emperor, something serious would happen.

He knew he had no quick wit, so he kept his mouth shut to avoid making more mistakes.

But we can't just remain silent. Zhao Shoufu glanced at his deputy, meaning, "Ah Xing, take over!"

The two have been together for nearly ten years, and Shen Shixing knows that this is a chance for Yuanfu to show off. Yuanfu is always like this, leaving the opportunity to show off to others, just silently taking the blame for everyone, cleaning up the mess, and often giving red envelopes to everyone. Is there any better leader in the world than this?

"Your Majesty is right. That guy is just seeking fame! Nowadays, the atmosphere is very bad. Young people are unwilling to serve as officials in a down-to-earth manner. They just want to become famous as soon as possible. They have found a shortcut, which is to sell their loyalty and integrity, anger the emperor, and use a lot of pain to exchange for a lifetime of good reputation!" Shen Shixing immediately said in a deep voice:

"Their thoughts are, if the emperor is a wise ruler, and I write to him to point out his mistakes, he will definitely accept my advice and will be happy to hear my criticism, and will not do anything to me. But if the emperor beats me with a stick in the court and demotes me to exile, then it means that the emperor is a tyrant! This is enough to prove that I am a loyal minister who speaks out against the emperor! Even if I am beaten to death, I can still leave my name in history and be remembered for generations to come. This is not a loss at all!"

"If they are lucky enough to survive, they will immediately become famous loyal ministers and be praised by the world. It doesn't matter if they are demoted and exiled for a few years. As long as they have a reputation, they will not be wronged anywhere. In a few years, they will be recommended by countless people, and they will be promoted several levels when they are transferred back..."

Wanli was stunned and said, "Fuck, their intentions are so sinister..."

"Of course!" Wang Jiaping immediately replied, "I have seen this many times over the years. Officials were beaten with a stick in the Meridian Gate, and then they were carried back as heroes by all the officials. The people lined the streets to welcome them, and their superiors came to greet them. It was really glorious! I heard that many wives of officials complained bitterly because their husbands did not co-sign the memorial to the emperor, missing out on this opportunity to bring honor to their family!"

"Yes, in the love-stealing incident that year, an official was caned by the emperor. He was quite fat, and when he was carried out, the flesh on his buttocks fell off piece by piece. His wife picked up the flesh and took it home to pickle it into bacon, saying that it should be passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom that represents righteousness!" Shen Shixing said seriously:

"But every time she shows off her husband's buttocks, it makes Your Majesty lose face! The same goes for Luo Yuren. He is just seeking fame. If Your Majesty punishes him severely, it will only help him achieve his wish and gain fame, which will damage Your Majesty's virtue! How can you do such a loss-making business, Your Majesty?!"

"Hiss..." Wanli was determined to kill Luo Yuren. But Shen Shixing's trick made him a little confused. "What does Mr. Shen mean?"

"Only by being tolerant and not caring about trivial matters can one see the great virtue of a saint!" Shen Shixing bowed.

Zhao Shouzheng couldn't help but cheer secretly. Old Shen was usually very talented and his ability to smooth things over was much better than his own.

Why did his son suppress Wang Xijue and not let him join the cabinet, but let Shen Shixing always work with him? Because Chef Wang's temper would only cause him trouble. And Old Shen was the one who covered his ass...

"What Yuanfu means is..." Wanli looked at Zhao Shouzheng again.

Zhao Shouzheng nodded quickly and said in a deep voice, "This old minister also means the same thing. Your Majesty must not be fooled by that kid. The more this happens, the more you must show tolerance and not argue with him. This way, everyone in the world will know that Your Majesty is a wise ruler with an open mind, and that guy will know that he was deceived by rumors. He will definitely cry bitterly and live in regret and guilt for the rest of his life."

The other three also hurriedly bowed and said, "What the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister said is correct. We second the proposal..."

Wanli's expression changed for a while, and he replied after a moment's pause: "That's true. It doesn't hurt my virtue, but it just shows that I don't have a broad mind..."

"Your Majesty is as holy as heaven and earth, what can he not tolerate?" Zhao Shouzheng flattered him skillfully while standing up and handing the memorial back to the emperor. "It's New Year's Day, Your Majesty, just treat it as a fart and let it go..."

Seeing that Wanli didn't say anything, Zhao Shouzheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, good guy, two sticks together to smooth things over, finally managed to fool him...

"Take another look!" Unexpectedly, Wanli remained silent.

"I suffer from double vision, so it is difficult for me to recognize words. I can only read the general idea." Zhao Shouzheng smiled bitterly, trying to get away with it.

"No! I'm still mad at him, I must punish him severely!" Wanli came to his senses. How could I just let it go after being scolded like that? I'd be laughed to death... Besides, I don't plan to be a wise ruler. I just want to be an ordinary, happy emperor and live a comfortable life.

So, this anger must be let out!

Zhao Shouzheng was overwhelmed and had to speak toughly:

"The Emperor has already said that this is a false rumor. If the cabinet proposes a punishment and spreads it far and wide, the whole world will take it as the truth!"

"This..." Wanli's soft spot was touched and he was speechless immediately.

ps. That's all for today. My eyes aren't feeling well, so I'm going to bed early...