gnized the Hongzhi Emperor as his adoptive father. He also argued that the ceremonies could not be changed. Grand Secretaries Mao Ji (??) and Shi Bao (??) did not support the emperor. Scholars from the Hanlin Academy and opposition officials in the Censorate and ministries protested the change, which was seen as a disruption of proper ceremonies. As a result, the emperor had eight critics arrested. On 14 August, the protests reached their peak. Approximately 232 officials, which accounted for about a tenth of the Beijing government staff, remained outside the audience hall at Zuoshun Gate after the morning audience. They knelt for four hours, chanting the names of the Hongwu and Hongzhi emperors. They refused to leave without a written order, but even after it was issued, they did not leave and instead began pounding on the palace doors. The emperor's patience eventually ran out and he ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest all of them. He then dismissed both high- and low-ranking officials. Five days later, he had 134 middle-ranking officials beaten, resulting in the death of 17 of them. All participants in the demonstration faced punishment in various forms, such as demotion, transfer outside of Beijing, being sent to the border, or being expelled from the civil service. This event is known as the "Zuoshun Gate Incident". The ceremony on 15 August was held in accordance with the emperor's wishes. Senior Grand Secretary, Mao Ji, resigned with honor on 23 August and was replaced by Fei Hong. Fei Hong had skillfully navigated between the emperor and the official opposition during the disputes. In an effort to explain and justify his position, the emperor tasked Zha
