Treason by the Book, by Jonathan Spence, is a historical account of the Zeng Jing (曾靜) case which took place during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of Qing China around 1730.

He gave a long list of accusations against Yongzheng, including the murder of the Kangxi Emperor and the killing of his brothers.

This triggered a series of investigations which captured the attention of Yongzheng, who was eager to make his ascent to the throne seem legitimate.

The emperor then decided to circulate the relevant documents, including the original note, nationwide as a civics lesson for his subjects.

[1] However, Yongzheng's sudden death in 1735 caused a turn of events as the Qianlong Emperor, Yongzheng's successor, sensitive to the potentially defamatory material that was making its rounds across the country, went against his father's wishes in recalling and destroying his father's response, the Dayi Juemi Lu (大義覺迷錄; literally: "Records of great righteousness resolving confusion"), as well as executing Zeng.