Hai Rui's Memorial: "Jiajing Means Every Household Is Left Clean!" / Jiajing's Madness and the Fear Etched into Every Official's Bones

"--His Majesty!"

At that very moment, to everyone's surprise, the Grand Tutor was the first to step forward. Having just finished watching episode thirty-nine and intending to have the ministers share their thoughts, the Grand Tutor's words startled him for a moment, and he immediately asked:

"What does the Grand Tutor wish to report?"

"This is of utmost importance, Your Majesty. This old minister dares to humbly request that Your Majesty consider the well-being of our Great Yan dynasty and the interests of its people." The Grand Tutor, usually serious and unsmiling, was more solemn this time than ever before, and immediately spoke:

"This old minister knows that Your Majesty is not interested in women, is devoted to the country, and is diligent and frugal in governing. The people of Great Yan are truly blessed to have Your Majesty as their ruler and father."

"However, the Great Yan Dynasty, though prosperous, is fraught with danger. The very foot of the imperial palace is a major hidden threat. A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. This old minister dares to implore Your Majesty to have an heir as soon as possible and to establish a prince, so that the Great Yan Dynasty may be safe and sound for generations to come!"

Emperor of Great Yan: "?"

What? Why is it suddenly time to pressure me to have a child? The Emperor of Great Yan was momentarily stunned by the Grand Tutor's train of thought. Wasn't the reason he hadn't had children or appointed a crown prince precisely because he feared that having an heir would truly secure his throne?

As long as he has no children, he can easily abdicate the throne to his elder brother. But if he has princes, and becomes bound by ties, he will have no hope of escaping the throne! The Grand Tutor should be well aware of this, shouldn't he?

However, just as the Emperor of Great Yan was bewildered, the officials reacted instantly, immediately bowing deeply and kneeling down, each one shouting louder than the last:

"I urge Your Majesty to prioritize the well-being of our Great Yan Dynasty! May you have an heir soon and establish a crown prince!"

Your Majesty, please remain seated on this throne and do not stand up. At this moment, this was the only thought in the minds of all the officials of the Great Yan Dynasty. The scene before them left the Emperor of the Great Yan dumbfounded, but Wei Yenwu, who had been listening from behind the scenes, heard it all clearly.

"Now you should understand why I was willing to play this emperor, and even why I put so much effort into it, right, my younger brother?"

But the confusion was only momentary. Soon, Wei Yenwu felt a sense of relief rise from the bottom of his heart. The scene in the hall made it clear to Wei Yenwu that he was getting further and further away from the throne he never wanted to sit on.

PS: Chapter 3 today! (Almost 5,000 words again. I'll update with a new climax tomorrow, so please support me! I'm going to collapse for a bit now...)

Volume 1: Chapter 324: Hai Rui's Memorial to the Throne - "The Jiajing Emperor, every household is clean!"

"I know you are anxious, but now, the fate of the Great Yan Dynasty rests on my shoulders."

However, facing the officials kneeling in the hall, who seemed determined not to rise until he expressed his opinion Great Yan Emperor, who had dealt with similar situations many times before, wiped away his cold sweat and skillfully replied:

"I know that I am of mediocre talent and that my literary and military skills are not comparable to those of the late Emperor. I am ashamed to sit on this throne. Since I took power, I have been trembling with fear every day, just to prevent the downfall of the Great Yan Empire. When I ascended the throne, I did not even establish an empress, for fear that I would delay the affairs of state because of trivial matters."

The Emperor of Great Yan was only half telling the truth; he did indeed believe he was mediocre in talent, as he was certainly not as outstanding as his elder brother. However, his refusal to appoint an empress was not because he feared it would interfere with state affairs, but entirely out of jealousy towards Wei Yenwu.

After all, he knew perfectly well, even in the palace, about Madam Wen Yue and Wei Yenwu's devoted love and support for each other. However, it was impossible for him not to feel resentful that his elder brother had won the life that should have been his.

Therefore, the Emperor of Great Yan intended to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother and marry a woman he truly loved as his empress, just as he did. Of course, he would not say this as the reason he gave to his officials.

As the shared teacher of these two brothers, the Grand Tutor was naturally well aware of this matter. However, upon hearing the Emperor of Great Yan's words, the Grand Tutor was the first to step forward and speak out:

"Your Majesty, a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. Your Majesty should establish a crown prince as soon as possible and cultivate future rulers for our Great Yan. This is also a matter of paramount importance."

"The warning from 'The Great Yan Dynasty 1566' and the precedent set by Emperor Jiajing should be vividly remembered by Your Majesty. I urge Your Majesty to cultivate descendants early and nurture them, lest the Great Yan empire be handed over to a monarch like Jiajing."

As he spoke, the Grand Tutor, with the awareness to be the first to bear the burden, took the lead and bowed deeply to the Emperor of Great Yan. Behind him, all the officials who had spoken their minds knelt down again in complete agreement.

Yes, everyone is afraid, afraid that Chen Qi's warning will be proven true. The Emperor of Great Yan himself has asked Chen Qi more than once whether this is the future of Great Yan, but he has never received a clear answer from Chen Qi.

Chen Qi himself held a "rigorous" attitude. After all, while others might not know, he was certain that the Great Yan of Terra had been stitched up. Moreover, since YJ always made sure everything that needed stitching was stitched up, he dared not guarantee that the Great Yan would not produce an emperor like Jiajing in the future.

However, Chen Qi's ambiguous attitude, in the eyes of the officials and emperor of the Great Yan, was a prophecy that could cause panic. Especially since the background of Chen Qi's drama was the outbreak of a crisis involving "Sui" and Feranmut, the death of two dragons in the chaos, and the annihilation of 80% of the Great Yan army... This matched the predictions within the Great Yan. Logically speaking, if Chen Qi didn't have futuristic vision, how could he have guessed so accurately?

But how can all of this be verified? How can it be avoided? The officials and the Grand Tutor had a very simple idea: let the Emperor of Great Yan have an heir first!

With an heir to the Great Yan Emperor, they no longer worried that His Majesty would abscond, and Wei Yenwu Wenyue could now have a child without worry.

Then we'll see whether Wei Yenwu Wenyue's first child is a boy or a girl, and what their talents are. If it's a boy, and happens to be exceptionally gifted, then the ministers will have no choice but to believe that this child is the future Emperor Jiajing, as Chen Qi in the drama!

Now that such a warning has been issued, this child is definitely not related to the throne at all. This is why they are urging the Emperor of Great Yan to have an heir soon.

As long as the Emperor of Great Yan had a child first, Wei Yenwu's descendants would have no chance of inheriting the throne, and Great Yan would not have fallen into the hands of Jiajing. Moreover, as long as there was enough time to properly train the new army, the absurd and tragic script of 1566 could not be repeated in the life of Great Yan!

In this way, the crisis of the Great Yan is resolved, and the Great Yan can rest assured that the next generation will most likely be a wise ruler, rather than the greedy ruler who forced Liberi to take the throne. It's a win-win situation!

Therefore, Your Majesty, please have a child soon!

"Heh, now you know, right? You thought you could escape this hurdle by not having children? Right now, all the officials are begging you to have children; in the future, I'm afraid even the people of Great Yan will be urging you to have children."

Now, Wei Yenwu kept his eyes tightly shut, recalling all the sad things that had happened in his life, before barely managing to suppress the urge to burst into laughter. The officials' requests were exactly what he wanted to hear, and Wei Yenwu was more than happy to oblige.

He never intended to take the throne. Knowing the horrors of politics and the royal family, he didn't want his descendants to be involved in the conflicts. For example, Chen Huijie and Talulah, although nominally holding the title of "Junjun" (a title for a noblewoman), Wei Yenwu had no intention of letting the two women enter officialdom.

As for whether his biological child would become the future Jiajing... Wei Yenwu didn't dwell on that. As long as he and Wenyue survived, he was confident he could raise the child well and prevent him from becoming as suspicious, greedy, and tyrannical as Jiajing.

If all else fails, with Chen Qi still around, Wei Yenwu can entrust the child to Chen Qi and Little Tal to raise. Once he joins the film crew, his younger brother will have virtually no reason to get involved in the affairs of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"This is good for us, but somewhat bad for His Majesty."

Meanwhile, also behind the scenes, Wenyue was well aware that if all of this could truly be realized, her family could completely escape the quagmire of politics. But she was even more aware that if the Emperor of Great Yan's worries were not resolved, they would likely not find peace either.

The same thing that happened to Edward back then must not be repeated. If they want the Emperor of Great Yan to secure his position, they must try their best to fulfill his other desires.

"My younger brother has always lived in constant fear, afraid that his life might be in danger." Wei Yenwu naturally understood the real reason why neither of them wanted to sit on the throne, but now he didn't care at all, and instead said casually:

"However, it seems that my younger brother no longer needs to worry about that. As long as that kid Chen Qi is around, I'm afraid he'll never be able to collect all twelve fragments of 'Year'."

"I believe that kid can control Nian and Xi. Now, the group of 'Sui' led by Chongyue have all been pardoned thanks to that kid's instigation. The only one we need to worry about now is that second brother."

"As for the Empress..." Wei Yenwu was at a loss when he got to this point. He knew why his younger brother didn't want to appoint an Empress, but he really didn't have any good ideas.

Given the Great Yan Emperor's desire to find his own empress, the best solution would be to find someone to "act as regent" for a period of time. And who else could be chosen besides Wei Yenwu?

The problem is that Wei Yenwu is also worried that if he brings this up himself, his "acting regent" position will become a lifelong one. He's already decided on his posthumous title: "Emperor Daizong of Yan".

Finally, having exhausted all other options, Wei Yenwu could only take a sullen drag on his cigarette, then tentatively asked Wenyue beside him:

"... Wenyue, do you have any sisters? Could you introduce one to my little brother sometime?"

Wenyue: "... Let's watch a drama instead."

However, Wenyue didn't take her foolish husband's joke seriously. She simply turned her gaze back to the large screen behind the scenes. Now, they were essentially "ruling from behind the curtain" here, which was also a little scheme of the Great Yan Emperor, and they dared not disobey.

Meanwhile, while the emperor and his ministers were still arguing, the videotapes of "The Great Yan Dynasty" quietly played up to episode 41. Everyone knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this episode would be the final show before the end of "The Great Yan Dynasty".

Chen Huijie's portrayal of Hai Rui finally reached his limit. He had long hoped to submit a memorial to Jiajing, hoping that his powerful medicine could cure the heart disease of the Great Yan, but he had not dared to take action because of his concerns.

Now, Chen Huijie has sent away all her family members and entrusted them to Li Shizhen, played by Nine-Colored Deer, for care. She is also determined to let Jiajing see her memorial when the officials send congratulatory messages for Jiajing's relocation.

Hai Rui was certain that Jiajing would have skimmed through most of the previous congratulatory memorials. Therefore, she deliberately used a trick, sealing her own memorial in parchment and saving it for last, insisting on waiting for Zhao Zhenji, played by Ling, to come and urge her to submit it.

As the auspicious hour approached, Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, grew increasingly anxious, even complaining to Xu Jie and Gao Gong. Finally, Zhao Zhenji appeared before everyone, holding Hai Rui's congratulatory letter.

"The congratulatory message has arrived! The congratulatory message has arrived!"

Almost instantly, as Ling arrived at Palace of Jade Splendor, breathless and unsteady, holding the congratulatory letter, Chen Hong, played by Lin Qingyan, snatched the letter from Zhao Zhenji's hand. All the officials who had been on tenterhooks breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, Chen Hong swiftly slid to his knees, instantly appearing before Jiajing, respectfully presenting the congratulatory memorial, and said with relief:

"Your Majesty, the whole country is in celebration! Hai Rui's congratulatory memorial has also been presented!"

"It's still a quarter of an hour before the auspicious time." Huang Jin, played by Tai He, also reminded him with relief. If Hai Rui's congratulatory letter had been presented any later, the matter of Jiajing's relocation would have truly been delayed.

Everyone in the drama knows that Hai Rui is the one who has the biggest grudge against Jiajing. The previous inscription of "Six Musts House" had already made Jiajing extremely concerned about the name Hai Rui. This time, Hai Rui was able to truthfully submit his congratulatory memorial, which was indeed a fortunate thing.

The Jiajing, who had originally thought that Hai Rui would stand against him to the end, was somewhat surprised to see the congratulatory letter in Chen Hong's hand. However, his expression visibly softened, thinking that Hai Gangfeng was quite pragmatic and had not gone all the way against his sovereign father.

However, Chen Hong, who was standing to the side, took the opened parchment and his expression changed slightly—why would a congratulatory letter be sealed?

But by then, it was too late for Chen Hong to react. As the camera panned, Jiajing clearly saw that what was in his hand was not a congratulatory memorial, but rather, "Respectfully submitted by Hai Rui, Principal of the Ministry of Revenue Accounts Bureau."

What suddenly rang in everyone's ears was Chen Huijie's calm and solemn recitation, and the contents of the memorial gradually quieted everyone in the previously noisy hall...

"To speak frankly about the most important matters under heaven, to rectify the way of the ruler, to clarify the duties of the ministers, and to seek peace and stability for all generations."

"The ruler is the master of all subjects and all things under heaven. As such, his responsibility is extremely heavy. When his ministers speak their minds, the way of the ruler is fulfilled. I have received great favor from the state. I humbly request to uphold the principle of not concealing my faults and speak frankly to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty possesses exceptional talent and wisdom, and in the early years of your reign, you eradicated long-standing abuses, ushering in a new era for the nation."

Up to this point, Jiajing's expression remained good. Apart from Theresis, Theresia, and the Emperor of Ursus Great Yan, most of the rulers from various countries were completely confused by the words, but they could still tell that these words were meant to praise achievements.

However, all the seasoned officials of the Great Yan Dynasty understood perfectly well that this was merely a necessary compliment before offering their opinions, a common practice among outspoken ministers.

As expected, after praising the achievements, Chen Huijie's tone suddenly changed, and she continued with a regretful tone:

"His initial enthusiasm was short-lived; he was led astray by delusions, single-mindedly pursuing metaphysics and amassing wealth across the land. He failed to recognize that the people's livelihood depended on him, and instead indulged in extravagant construction projects. For over twenty years, he neglected court duties, and the order and discipline of the government collapsed."

"Officials across the land are corrupt and generals are weak; the people are destitute; taxes and corvée labor are constantly increasing; houses are practically empty."

"This is outrageous!"

"This is outrageous!!"

Finally, the more Jiajing read, the more horrified and angry he became, and the more he felt that his fig leaf had been ruthlessly torn away. He finally erupted.

The roar of the True Lung resounded at this moment, and even through the screen, it caused all the officials of the Great Yan to kneel down in an instant, just like the officials in the drama!

The scattered memorials, coupled with Jiajing's current deranged expression, and the only response to everyone was a single, chillingly cruel statement uttered by Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie:

"The world, taking the reign title Your Majesty changed, speculated that: 'Jiajing means that every household is clean and has no money.'"

In an instant, Chen Huijie's words echoed in every palace watching "The Great Yan Dynasty 1566". Now, facing these words that would make any monarch so angry that he would vomit blood, everyone truly realized just how fearless the subjects of the Great Yan Dynasty were.

Such outspokenness is unprecedented in the history of Terra. While it may be called outspokenness, to any monarch, it would be no different from being pointed at and insulted.

"This memorial alone... setting aside everything else, can be called the 'greatest memorial under heaven'."

"Your Majesty, this drama was absolutely worth making, so incredibly worthwhile."

Now, seeing this scene again, Wei Yenwu couldn't help but slowly close his eyes, sincerely sighing that, based on this scene alone, Wei Yenwu had no worries that the drama would disappear from the future of the Great Yan.

This drama will become an unavoidable part of the Great Yan, a "required course" that all officials, princes, and even the emperor himself must watch. In the future, the fictional era of "Jiajing" will also become a symbol of the "era of shame" within the Great Yan.

From then on, in the Great Yan, the mere mention of "Jiajing" would alert any minister or emperor, because none of them wanted the phrase "every household is wiped out" to appear during their reign.

PS: First chapter today!

Volume 1: Chapter 325: The Mad Jiajing, the Fear Engraved in the Bones of Officials

"Yan Song's dismissal and Shifan's execution were somewhat gratifying, but the situation after Yan Song's dismissal was still the same as before he became Yan Song."

"The people of the world have long been dissatisfied with Your Majesty."

Finally, as Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, uttered his last words, the entire world—from the Great Yan Palace and Ursus's palace to the office building of Lundinimsakaz—was stunned by the words in the memorial, leaving everyone speechless.

In an instant, none of the monarchs knew how they would react or refute Hai Rui's words if they were facing the same situation and Hai Rui were the one being insulted.

However, after a period of silent contemplation, all the monarchs came to the same conclusion: there was no other way. If they wanted to salvage their dignity and reputation as monarchs, there was only one solution: kill Hai Rui!

"But killing Hai Rui can only be considered a timely measure to mitigate the damage."

Meanwhile, on Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit and Amiya were within the Great Yan territory, dealing with the Infected problem caused by the Catastrophe. During the time that operators like Huang and Nine-Colored Deer were lent to Chen Qi for filming, Kal'tsit and the others were also within the Great Yan territory, constantly shuttling between various Catastrophe -stricken areas, assisting the Great Yan officials with the disaster relief work they most wanted to do but were most at a loss to do.

A year has passed, and Rhodes Island has now gained some reputation among officials in various parts of the Great Yan. This is not only because Rhodes Island's ideals support their actions, but also because Kal'tsit is acting for a specific purpose.

"Rhodes Island alone is not enough to save everyone on this land... This heavy responsibility must begin with a nation; at the very least, we must pass this seed of hope on to as many people as possible."

"We'll go back to Theresia eventually, but before we do, we must find a country that can protect the seeds of hope. Great Yan is our best option."

Kal'tsit had been doing everything she could to gain the support of various officials in the Great Yan region and to enhance Rhodes Island's reputation within the Great Yan court, all for her ultimate goal. But that's a story for another time.

During this time, Kal'tsit and Amiya were also keeping a close eye on the progress of Chen Qi's filming of "The Great Yan Dynasty". And it has to be said that Chen Qi's drama once again provided Kal'tsit with a good teaching material for Amiya.

This series, "The Great Yan Dynasty," is different from "Yes, Prime Minister." Although both are about politics, "The Great Yan Dynasty" is clearly more focused on the big picture and more detailed, making it more suitable for Kal'tsit to explain and analyze to Amiya step by step.

Even so, Chen Qi's memorial and Hai Rui's words in this episode still had a significant impact on Kal'tsit, because Kal'tsit knew that a memorial of this intensity from Hai Rui was unprecedented in the history of the Great Yan.

"Even if the Emperor Jiajing is extremely concerned about his reputation, he shouldn't kill Hai Rui, right?" Amiya, however, felt a pang of guilt. With Kal'tsit's help, she understood the meaning behind the memorial on Memorial on Public Order, but upon hearing that only by killing Hai Rui could the emperor's dignity be preserved, she couldn't help but ask:

"This is the kind of frankness only a loyal minister would write. Even if the Emperor Jiajing was furious because of Hai Rui's insubordination, he should have been able to control himself, right? Didn't he know how to distinguish between loyal and treacherous ministers?"

"No, because the meaning has changed completely once this memorial is issued." Kal'tsit shook her head, and under Amiya's gaze, explained word by word:

The moment the words "Every household is destitute, with no money to spare" were uttered, it was already destined to define a ruler as a "tyrant." No matter how hard he tried to cover it up or distance himself from it, the historians would record this memorial in the annals of history.

"Jiajing spent half his life cultivating power, and despite his immense greed, he would make everything in the country give way to anything related to himself or becoming Feranmut. Yet, he could shamelessly claim to be 'frugal and thrifty' because he never took responsibility."

"When mistakes are made, the Yes, Minister bear the blame; when credit is awarded, it's Jiajing's credit. Whether it's Yan Song, Xu Jie, Zhao Zhenji... all the ministers cater to Jiajing's ideas. But now, because of this memorial, Jiajing's hope of leaving a false reputation in history has been completely shattered."

In conclusion, it's no wonder that Jiajing was so furious. Hai Rui's "Memorial on Public Order" would undoubtedly become a stain on Jiajing's life the moment it was published, distorting the "wise ruler" image he had cultivated throughout his life.

Although it seems that the officials in the drama all know Jiajing's true nature, in reality, the way the officials submit memorials to the Grand Secretariat and Hai Rui was moved to tears when reading Jiajing's imperial edict in Zhe City reveals that Jiajing's self-image was actually very deceptive and quite successful.

For many officials of low rank, and even many ordinary people, Jiajing was a wise ruler, but the presence of treacherous officials blinded him to the truth; even Hai Rui was misled in this regard.

Under Jiajing's management, the officialdom of the Great Yan became an open secret, much like "Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone." However, just as Sima Zhao's reputation wasn't completely ruined among the people of the Great Wei Dynasty before Cao Mao was killed, as long as no one dared to expose Jiajing's true intentions, Jiajing reputation in history would be entirely different.

But now, Hai Rui has torn away this fig leaf, exposing Jiajing nakedly to the world. Jiajing is angry, annoyed, and fearful, to the point that he has even gone mad for a time.

"Chen Hong!!"