Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 2 All Nations Come to the Dynasty _ Chapter 2 The Glory of the Emperor
No matter which angle we look at, Zhu Di is definitely not a good person. This person is cold, cruel, and power-hungry. In daily life, we definitely don’t want to be friends with such a person. But he is a real person.
A truly good emperor.
An emperor never needs to use his personal good character to prove his wisdom. On the contrary, people who are emperors in history are basically not good people, because good people cannot be emperors. Zhu Yunwen is the ironclad proof.
From the day a person ascends the throne and becomes an emperor, what he gets is not just power, but also many enemies. Not only does he have to fight with the sky and the earth, he also has to fight with almost everyone around him.
Everyone fights, ministers, eunuchs, wives (there are many), wives' relatives (also many), brothers and sisters, and even parents (if they are all still alive), he becomes the target of everyone. If he doesn't show something
If you use other methods to show your ability, it is easy for someone to find a loophole and kick you off the throne. And history has proven that the survival rate of emperors who are kicked off the throne is very low.
For the sake of the throne and his life, he must learn tactics and tricks, and must disown all his relatives. He is more tyrannical than the most tyrannical bully, and more rogue than the most rogue gangster. He cannot trust anyone. So I think that being alone is the best thing for the emperor.
title.
Zhu Di was such a bully and scoundrel, but also a good emperor.
He was full of energy and followed the model worker Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang as an example. He worked late every day and dealt with government affairs non-stop. He loved the people, cared about the sufferings of the people, and implemented a policy of rest and recuperation. Under his rule, the Ming Dynasty became more and more powerful.
Wasteland was reclaimed, people's living standards improved, and warehouses were filled with food and coins. Economic, technological, and cultural development has been great, and he created a truly peaceful and prosperous age through his own efforts.
He formulated many policies that benefited the country and the people, and implemented these policies well, making the Ming Dynasty more powerful. If you want to explain it in detail, you can also list a lot of economic figures. These are just clichés, and the specific content can be
Refer to the history textbooks of past dynasties. I don’t want to write more, and I believe you don’t want to read more, but it is worth thinking about. Many emperors have done these measures in history and achieved good results. Why can Zhu Di surpass them?
The vast majority of people became one of the few recognized great emperors in Chinese history?
This is because he did what other emperors could not do.
Below, we will introduce the achievements of this great emperor. As we have said before, he is definitely not a good person, but he is definitely a good emperor. He has achieved great achievements with his amazing talents and abilities, leaving us with
He left an immortal legacy and still affects our country and nation more than six hundred years later. So from this perspective, he is indeed a great emperor in Chinese history and well deserved.
Repair books
Speaking of book editing, many people should be yearning for it. It is indeed a happy thing to turn one's efforts into books, and for some people who are not capable of writing books, publishing a book
There are still ways. For example, when I was in college, some academic staff (who did not teach) were jealous of the books published by people in the teaching and research department. They wanted to write books but had no ability, and did not know who came up with the ideas, so they copied some books here and there.
Quotations from famous people actually led to the publication of a book. Of course, its sales can be expected.
It is hard to believe that as early as hundreds of years ago in Zhu Di's time, someone had done something similar, and it was Zhu Di who did it.
We have said before that Zhu Di's cultural accomplishment was limited, and he himself should not be able to write any famous books. Therefore, he could only instruct his subordinates to edit books. The purpose of this was of course for his own reputation. In fact, there is nothing to blame for this.
Which emperor doesn't want to leave his name in history? Many emperors in the past revised many books. Revising books is actually not a rare thing, but Zhu Di is indeed a man of great talent and strategy. What he wants to edit is an unprecedented book, and what he wants to do is
This is something that has never been done before.
"I want to write the most complete, perfect, and outstanding book in history, so that people thousands of years from now will know the glory and glory of our era!"
He did it, and he wrote a great book that will shine in history and be famous throughout the ages - "Yongle Dadian".
But as we said before, he is just a decision-maker. No matter how wise the decision is, it will not work without someone to implement it. According to Zhu Di's idea, he wants to build a canon that covers all subjects and categories in history, without any mistakes.
Doubt, this is an arduous task and requires a suitable person to serve as the chief editor. This person must have extensive knowledge, clear discernment, incomparable patience, and an inclusive mind.
It is really difficult to find someone who meets the above conditions, but fortunately, Zhu Di did find such a person.
And this man's life is also closely linked to "Yongle Dadian". His destiny is like the book "Yongle Dadian", full of ups and downs, but full of legends.
Therefore, before we introduce "Yongle Dadian", we must first introduce this great editor-in-chief.
destiny
In the thirteenth year of Yongle (1415), Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, issued a strange order. He wanted to treat a prisoner in his cell to dinner. This was big news. Ji Gang was Zhu Di's favorite and the supreme commander of the Jinyiwei, and he would actually condescend to it.
Inviting a prisoner to dinner sparked a lot of discussion.
The prisoner gladly accepted the invitation, but when the dinner started, Ji Gang did not come. He just asked someone to bring a lot of wine for the prisoner to drink. The worried prisoner couldn't stop drinking. He recalled that
The dreamy past will soon make you drunk.
Seeing that he was already drunk, the Jin Yiwei who had already received the instructions opened the door and dragged him out.
It's snowing heavily outside, and it's the first month of the year.
The prisoner was thrown into the snow. In the heavy snow, in this pure silver-white world, in the reminiscence of the past and the anesthetic effect of alcohol, he ushered in death.
This prisoner was Xie Jin, known as the most talented man in the Ming Dynasty and the editor-in-chief of "Yongle Dadian". He was forty-seven years old this year.
starting point
Xie Jin was born in the second year of Hongwu (1369), a native of Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. He was smart and studious since childhood, and was called a talented man by his fellow villagers. Everyone thought that he would definitely succeed in the future. He lived up to everyone's expectations. In the 21st year of Hongwu (
1388), he passed the Jinshi examination in one fell swoop. Since his reputation in his hometown was already very good and even spread to the capital, Zhu Yuanzhang also attached great importance to him and took time out of his busy schedule to meet him. Zhu Yuanzhang's move made him
Everyone believed that a new political star was about to rise.
At that time, the political situation was complicated. Hu Weiyong's case had already been committed. Officials at all levels of the Justice Department continued to arrest ministers. Many people who were ministers of the court today disappeared the next day. It was really bloody and unpredictable. In such an environment
During this period, many ministers became carefree and turned a blind eye to troubles, just hoping to survive until retirement.
But Xie Jin was destined to be an unexpected person. In this precarious and harsh political environment, he did not retreat or shrink, but showed the backbone and courage of an intellectual.
He bravely wrote to Zhu Yuanzhang himself, criticizing the ills of the times, denounced unnecessary killings, and submitted a famous article "Ten Strategies for Peace", in which he outlined in detail his political thoughts and philosophy of governing the country.
Zhu Yuanzhang sketched a picture of a peaceful world and put forward opinions and criticisms on some of the current political systems.
We have introduced Zhu Yuanzhang's character before. If you don't mess with him, he will come to you for trouble. But this Jie Jin boldly dared to touch the tiger's butt. This really requires a lot of courage. At that time, many people thought that Xie Jin
Crazy, because only a madman dares to provoke a madman.
It is difficult to prove whether Xie Jin was crazy or not, but at least he did not die. Uncharacteristically, Zhu Yuanzhang accepted his criticism and did not make trouble for him. People at the time were shocked and couldn't figure out why Xie Jin could still survive.
, so Xie Jin, who dared to tell the truth, became famous all over the world.
After he became famous, troubles came. Although some people praised his brave behavior, others said that he was engaging in political speculation and only submitted the letter when he saw the opportunity. But Xie Jin shattered the so-called speculation with his actions
’s statement. He did another earth-shattering thing.
In the twenty-third year of Hongwu (1390), Zhu Yuanzhang killed Li Shanchang. This matter had a deep political background. The ministers at the time knew it very well and did not dare to say a word. But the never-feared Xie Jin started again
Taking action, he wrote to Zhu Yuanzhang on behalf of his friend to defend Li Shanchang.
This was a very serious political incident, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry. He knew that the article was written by Xie Jin, but surprisingly, he still did not treat Xie Jin. This incident gave Xie Jin a wrong signal. He believed that,
Zhu Yuanzhang would not do anything to himself.
Xie Jin continued his extremely dangerous game. He had great ambitions, was not afraid of authority, and dared to tell the truth. However, he did not understand that this kind of behavior was destined to pay a heavy price. Soon, he was punished.
In the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu's reign (1391), Zhu Yuanzhang drove Xie Jin back home and told him, "I won't use him until ten years later."
So, Xie Jin returned to his home along the same road he took to Beijing to take the exam three years ago. Prosperity and wealth were just a dream, and the scenery along the way did not change much, but Xie Jin's heart changed.
He never understood that he was punished like this for just telling a few truths. Isn't it just for the common people of the world that scholars serve as officials? Isn't it just to serve the country? What is the truth of this!
Those shameless people who don't do business all day long, give in when encountering difficulties, and fail when encountering obstacles are firmly in power. It's unfair that someone like me who serves the country wholeheartedly gets such treatment.
The days of dismissal from office are depressing. The greatest pain for human beings is not having nothing, but having everything and then losing it. The prosperity of the capital, the admiration of everyone, and the emperor's respect, these past scenes are always lingering in Xie Jin's heart.
During the days in his hometown, he had been thinking about a question, that is, why did he fail? To learn? To measure?
No, it's not that. Finally one day, he began to realize that the reason for his failure was naivety. He was so naive that he didn't even know what officialdom was. Faith and integrity have no market in the court. If you want to be in the court,
To achieve success, you can only cater to the emperor, use Machiavellian tactics, seize every opportunity, constantly be promoted, and improve your status!
Xie Jin finally found what he thought was the right path, and his life began to change.
In the thirty-first year of Hongwu (1398), Zhu Yuanzhang passed away. At this time, seven years had passed since Xie Jin returned home. Although the ten-year agreement had not yet reached, Xie Jin still started to take action. He knew very well that even if
After ten years, no one will be an official. If you want to be an official, you can only rely on yourself!
Relying on his previous network, he kept writing to senior officials and the emperor, asking for official positions. However, fate played another joke on him. Although Emperor Jianwen knew that he was very talented, he was unwilling to use him and only gave him a small official position.
.sent him far away to the far west. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately found someone to smooth out the relationship. Finally, he stayed in the capital and became a minor official in the Hanlin Academy.
At this time, Xie Jin had completely lost the ambitions of his youth. He finally understood the darkness and ugliness of politics. If he wanted to climb up, he could not have principles or dignity. He had to be able to flatter others, flatter others, and so on.
You want it all, but you can’t lose face!
Dark world, I sell my soul to you, all I want is glory and wealth!
By accepting his soul, the dark world gave him a chance.
turning point
Jingnan began, Emperor Jianwen was about to fail, and Zhu Di was already in sight of victory. At this critical moment, Xie Jin had a conversation with his two friends. This was a conversation that went down in history. In this conversation
, the three young people have determined different directions in life.
Here, we would like to first introduce two of Xie Jin’s friends. Their names are Hu Guang and Wang Gen. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and people who can make friends with talented people like Xie Jin are naturally not ordinary people. In fact,
Above, the background of these two people is no less than that of Jie Jin.
It's a coincidence that the three of them are all from Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. They are fellow villagers. They can be regarded as a fellow villagers' association. Xie Jin is a famous talent. As we said before, he was a Jinshi in the 21st year of Hongwu. His college entrance examination results
At least he is among the top dozens in the country, but compared with the other two people, he is far behind.
Why? Because these two people were the top scorer and second pick in the college entrance examination in the second year of Jianwen (1400) respectively. In addition, the third name is Li Guan, who is also from Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. He is also a good friend of these three people. But because
He did not participate in this conversation, so he was not mentioned. It is indeed amazing that the top three places were taken by Ji'an Prefecture in Jiangxi Province. It is amazing that the education here is so developed that it is comparable to today's Huanggang Middle School.
We are all from the same hometown and are well-educated people. Naturally, we have many common topics. Now that the boss of Emperor Jianwen is about to be finished, they need to sit down to discuss their future. These three people are all neighbors, and the place for their conversation was chosen.
At the home of another neighbor Wu Pu.
Before they talk about their ambitions, we need to mention that Xie Jin, Hu Guang, Wang Gen, and Li Guan were all close servants of Emperor Jianwen, which means that they were all close to the emperor and deeply trusted by the emperor.
, their attitude towards the current situation can well reflect the views of the courtiers at that time. But among the four, Wang Gen is special. He has the most reason to be dissatisfied with the emperor. Why is this?
Because in the imperial examination in the second year of Jianwen (1400), he was the real top scholar!
After passing the joint examination, this person took the palace examination. In the palace examination, his strategy came first. Originally, he should have been the number one scholar. But something unexpected happened. Emperor Jianwen thought he was not good-looking, so he took the first place.
The position of first place was given to Hu Guang (ugly, Yi Hu Jing, Hu Guangye). In this way, the number one scholar he got flew away. Ordinarily he should be very dissatisfied with Emperor Jianwen, but this world once again let us
I saw the ugliness and sincerity of human nature.
Emperor Jianwen was about to fall, and naturally everyone's topic would not be about poetry, calligraphy and painting. What should you do if your boss steps down? Where should you go? The three people made different choices. Of course, this choice was made from the bottom of their hearts.
The performance of the three people is as follows:
Xie Jin spoke about his righteousness, and Hu Guang was also angry and generous, saying that he and Zhu Di were sworn in and would die for the country. Wang Gen did not speak, but silently shed tears.
Performance after the conversation:
After Jie Jin finished the conversation, he packed up his belongings overnight and ran outside the city to surrender to Zhu Di. He ran very fast and left relevant evidence in history - "Jin Chi Ye". Hu Guang surrendered the next day and was very obedient.
——"Called in, kowtows in thanks". Look, how efficient it is, summoned, summoned, just called. The third one, Li Guan, is not behind others - "Guan also welcomes you".
After the silent Wang Gen returned home, he said to his wife: "I am a minister who receives a national salary. At this point, I can only die for the country."
Then he calmly committed suicide.
The country judges people by appearance, but he does not judge the country by power.
That night, there were two people who spoke and one person who didn't speak. The speaker made his promise, which eventually turned into a lie. The person who didn't speak was silent, but used actions to fulfill the promise in his heart.
In fact, as early as when they expressed themselves in different ways, one person had already seen their respective endings, and this person was Wu Pu, who was watching with cold eyes.
Just after Hu Guang delivered an impassioned speech about martyrdom for his country, and said goodbye and returned home with an upright look (his home was next to Wu Pu's house), Wu Pu's son said with deep emotion: "Uncle Hu (referring to Hu Guang) has
It is really a good thing to be able to sacrifice one's life for one's country with such courage."
Wu Pu smiled slightly and said: "This person will not die for his country. Among these three people, the only one who will die for his country is Wang Gen."
Wu Pu's son was young after all, so he disapproved of this and was about to refute his father. Unexpectedly, at this moment, Hu Guang's voice came from outside the door:
"It's a mess outside now, you have to take care of things at home!"
The two smiled bitterly at each other.
Having said that, it seems that we cannot blame these surrenders too much, especially Xie Jin. He suffered a lot and went through many ups and downs. He wanted to succeed too much, and this opportunity was something he could never let go.
People will have their own opinions on the behavior of these four people.
As a result, Xie Jin became Zhu Di's favorite. No matter what methods he used, he finally realized his dream. From then on, he began his legendary life, but before that, we need to introduce the three surrenders.
The whereabouts of the remaining two members of the group.
Li Guan: After Zhu Di took power, he got a lot of memorials from courtiers to Emperor Jianwen, which also contained many calls for crusade against him. He said to the ministers in the court in a joking tone: "You all have a share in these memorials."
Let's go." All the ministers below were frightened. In fact, Zhu Di just wanted to make a joke, and he would not hold these people accountable, but something unexpected happened.
It was Li Guan who caused the trouble. He said calmly: "I don't, and I never have." Then he put on a look of contentment. He was a shrewd man, and he noticed this problem very early. In order to avoid trouble, he
He has never received a similar memorial.
Now his intelligence has finally paid off, but in a way he never expected.
Zhu Di walked up to Li Guan, suddenly threw the memorial in his face, and said sternly:
"Are you still proud of it? You receive a salary from the country and work as an official of the country. In critical moments, as a close servant, you don't even say a word. What I hate the most is people like you!"
Li Guan, who was trembling all over, huddled up in a ball. He didn't expect that shamelessness would have to pay a price.
After that, he was imprisoned for breaking the law and finally died in prison. When he was dying, he finally regretted his behavior and cried uncontrollably: "Wang Jingzhi (Wang Gen's courtesy name Jingzhi), I have no shame to see you.
ah."
Hu Guang: Since then, he has been prosperous in officialdom. Because he wrote well and had the ability to handle government affairs, he was appointed as one of the seven members of the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty together with Xie Jin, and was later awarded the title of Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion.
After his death, he was posthumously named the Minister of Rites. He also set a record, that is, he was the first civil servant in the Ming Dynasty to receive a posthumous title. His posthumous title was "Wen Mu".
Looking at his life, this person has never suffered any losses and seems to be living a good life. However, a person's character will eventually be exposed.
After Hu Guang and Xie Jin went to Zhu Di, Zhu Di saw that they were from the same hometown and had a good relationship, so he intended to make them in-laws. However, although Xie Jin already had a son at that time, Hu Guang's wife had just become pregnant and did not know whether he was a boy.
It was a woman. At this time, Zhu Di, an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserted without B-ultrasound examination: "It must be a woman."
It turned out that Hu Guang’s wife did give birth to a girl, so the leader was really good, and he actually had such deep knowledge in obstetrics and gynecology in addition to government activities. Afterwards, it was proved that this girl was indeed not simple. Unfortunately, I was
Her name was not found in historical records, only that her surname must have been Hu.
The girl married Xie Jin's son as promised. Both families were wealthy and envied everyone. However, something unexpected happened. Xie Jin was later imprisoned and his son was exiled to Liaodong. At this time, Hu Guang showed up again
Due to his duplicitous nature, when his in-laws fell into a well, he would immediately look for stones and order his daughter to divorce the other party.
In that era, parents' orders were everything. However, the girl who was granted marriage by Zhu Di was a bit domineering. She did something that would make her father ashamed. Hu Guang forced and persuaded several times, but nothing happened.
As a result, he finally saw his daughter's final attitude, not as a separated instrument, but as an ear.
In order to show her determination never to separate, her daughter cut off her own ear to show her determination, and angrily scolded her father: "Although my marriage is unfortunate, it is still the emperor's decision. You promised, how can you do this? I would rather die than
point!"
The heroic woman's behavior caused a sensation, and everyone saw Hu Guang's face clearly. Xie Jin's son was finally pardoned and returned to the woman.
Hu Guang, be ashamed. Although you have read poetry and books and have a prosperous official career, your integrity is not as good as that of an ordinary woman!
As the saying goes, people have their own opinions.
soar
The big reason why Zhu Di valued Xie Jin was that he accurately judged that Xie Jin was the person who was qualified to be the editor-in-chief of the grand ceremony. So, in the first year of Yongle (1403), Zhu Di solemnly listed this person who could glorify the annals of history.
The exhausting work was handed over to Xie Jin. His request was to "collect the candid statements of hundreds of schools of thought on classics and history since the time of Fanshuqi. As for the astronomy, geographies, yin and yang, medicine, divination, monks and Taoism, they should be compiled into one book, which is not tiring to be voluminous."
What heroic words and wishes! Please don’t underestimate the matter of repairing books. At that time when information was not developed, books were easily lost even after they were published, because there was no custom of sending a copy to the library after being published.
Many people read books such as novels, but few people care about some academic books such as classics and history (this is similar to now), and are easily lost. And some books that have not been handed down are more like secret books in martial arts novels
They are all the same, hidden in deep mountains and dense forests, unknown to the public. To collect these books, a lot of money, manpower and material resources must be spent. Therefore, although each dynasty repairs books, they are very different. The number of official repair books in poorer dynasties is limited, and only
The book that must be repaired in order to be repaired - the history books of the previous dynasties.
What Zhu Di wants to compile is not just one book, but an encyclopedia that covers ancient and modern times, embraces everything, and contains all knowledge and wealth!
This is not just culture, it is a manifestation of comprehensive strength including economy, and a symbol of a country's confidence and strength!
There is no other book besides the Grand Canon!
We can think that when Zhu Di handed over this job to Jie Jin, he gave hope and burden to this young man who was only 34 years old. However, what is ironic is that in Zhu Di's view, it is extremely important.
The matter became a "general task" in Xie Jin's case.
Xie Jin did not show political acumen in this matter. He naively thought that this was just the emperor's temporary interest and wanted to compile a book for fun. So in November of the second year of Yongle (1404),
He submitted the first draft to the emperor, which was called "The Dacheng of Documents". It should be said that this first draft also cost Xie Jin a lot of effort, but he did not expect that his hard work would be rewarded by Zhu Di's scolding.
Zhu Di was very happy that Xie Jin completed the task so quickly, but when he saw the book sent by Xie Jin, he realized that this nerd had not understood the leader's intention at all. So he severely reprimanded Xie Jinyi
There was a pause, and then they got into a big formation.
This formation was really large and fully reflected the comprehensive national strength of the Ming Dynasty at that time. First of all, Zhu Di sent five Hanlin bachelors to serve as presidents (not the presidents we talk about today). These five people, headed by Wang Jing, were all well-educated people.
He also appointed 20 Hanlin Academy officials as vice presidents. These 20 people were also famous scholars. In addition, Zhu Di also launched a nationwide mobilization order to summon all knowledgeable people, no matter how old or young they are.
It doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, lame or lame, as long as your head can move and your feet can walk. All of them are summoned to compile, which is roughly equivalent to our editors today.
This is not over yet. Zhu Di has taken a desperate stance and must strive for excellence. He is also looking for people with certain abilities in various states and counties across the country, but this ability is not knowledge, so who exactly is he looking for?
Woolen cloth?
The answer is: People who write well.
Since we were compiling a complete book at that time, we had to collect a large number of books and materials. After finding these materials, we needed to find someone to copy them. This is understandable because there was no computer typesetting technology at the time, so we had to find people to use their hands during the compilation process.
Come and write.
Since it is a book compiled by the Ming Dynasty, it must be decent, and the handwriting of the book must be beautiful and clear. If you want to find someone with scrawled handwriting like me who can only type in front of a computer every day to copy the book, let alone Zhu Di can't stand it.
I would feel embarrassed myself. In those days, if your handwriting was bad, you would be embarrassed to say hello to others.
This is a veritable cultural mobilization. It can be said that Zhu Di gathered elite intellectuals from all over the country to do this. We have mentioned before that repairing books can also fully reflect the country's economic strength. This is because you have to summon so many
If an intellectual comes to edit your books for you, you have to state in the recruitment advertisement: board and lodging are included, and monthly salary is paid. Don’t think that intellectuals and scholars will willingly do voluntary labor because they also have wives and children.
Zhu Di was a straightforward person, and he solved problems vigorously and resolutely. He set up the compilation headquarters in Wenyuan Pavilion, and arranged accommodation for these compilers. When they wanted to eat, people from Guanglu Temple would naturally come to deliver them.
Hey, the person who compiles the book doesn't have to worry about anything, just compile your book.
After reading our above introduction, everyone should know clearly that without money, without a lot of money, can this book be completed?
The poor dynasty can only work hard all day long. A little treasury income can be used for food, but where can there be spare money to repair books?
The practice of writing books in prosperous times is not just a lie.
In addition to the people mentioned above, Zhu Di also sent a helper to Jie Jin to co-edit this book with him. This person said he was a helper, but in fact he should be a supervisor, because before this, he had only done two jobs once
The leader, unfortunately, is none other than Zhu Di.
This supervisor is Yao Guangxiao.
Yao Guangxiao was not only good at strategy, but also very talented. Song Lian, the first scholar in the early Ming Dynasty, also admired his talent. At that time, Xie Jin was still wearing crotchless pants.
Putting such a heavyweight next to Jie Jin, one can imagine Zhu Di's determination.
When Zhu Di put together such a luxurious lineup with overwhelming momentum, Xie Jin finally understood what a grand and glorious thing he was about to accomplish. If he couldn't complete it or didn't complete it well, he would not only lose his official position.
Problem.
Stop saying anything and start playing with your life!
After receiving instructions from the leader, Comrade Xie Jin finally corrected his attitude and moved in the direction instructed by the leader. Facts have proved that Zhu Di did not misjudge the person. Xie Jin gave full play to his talents and knowledge, and he arranged various tasks reasonably.
Procurement, analysis, writing, and proofreading were all carried out in an orderly manner. Every time he finished writing a part, he would personally review it and provide suggestions for revision. As the leader of this huge team of intellectuals, he did an outstanding job.
When the compilation team of thousands of people was operating in an orderly manner in his hands, and the compilation of the canon continued to be completed and perfected, Xie Jin finally realized his life value and dream. He was no longer a scholar with no talent, but a national hero.
Pillar.
During the process of compiling the canon, Zhu Di continued to provide help and care. In April of the fourth year of Yongle (1406), Zhu Di took time out of his busy schedule to visit the compilers who were working day and night at their jobs, and
He cordially asked Xie Jin what difficulties he had in work and life. Xie Jin thanked his leaders for their concern and expressed that he would continue to work hard and do a good job to repay His Majesty the Emperor's kindness and live up to the expectations of intellectuals across the country. Finally, he proposed,
The canonical history part is almost completed, but there are still many shortcomings in the subset part.
Zhu Di immediately said, if you have any difficulties, just come to me and I will definitely solve them. Isn't it just a lack of books? I'll give you the money to buy them, as much as you want! After that, he immediately ordered the relevant department (the Ministry of Rites) to send people out to buy books.
With such political and economic support, coupled with Xie Jin's capable command and arrangements, countless diligent intellectuals worked day and night. They kept writing on countless brightly lit nights, giving up their own
Family and entertainment, paying the price of health and even life (many of them died due to overwork), just to complete this greatest work of all time.
Many of them may not have any great ideals, because most of them were just ordinary scribes and editors. At that time, they were just ordinary scholars. Their lives seemed to have nothing to do with the word greatness.
They have nothing to do with each other, but what they did was a great thing. History will not leave their names, but every page and every line of this great book is flowing with their hard work.
So whether it is the editor who is so tired that he vomits blood, or the writer who is immersed in copying books all day long, they are all heroes and well-deserved heroes.
Everyone is.
With the unremitting efforts of these people, in November of the fifth year of Yongle (1407), the canon was finally completed.
This book contains seven or eight thousand kinds of books from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty, totaling 11,095 volumes, 22,877 volumes, and 370 million words.
All were copied word by word by hand.
Its content includes a subset of classics and history, astronomy, geography, yin and yang, medical skills, divination, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, drama, crafts, and agriculture. It covers the knowledge wealth of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. It is by no means just a book, but
It is a pyramid in the history of Chinese civilization.
What is even more rare is that the intellectuals of the Ming Dynasty, headed by Xie Jin, collected almost all precious cultural materials with their broad minds and inclusive thoughts, leaving us with a huge wealth.
Zhu Di's dream finally came true, and he solemnly named this great masterpiece - "Yongle Dadian".
Now, I can finally say that under my rule, the largest, most complete, and most perfect book in history has been compiled! One day, I will grow old, but the glory of this book will always shine for future generations.
people, tell them the glory of our time!
Glory! But this is not just Zhu Di’s glory, this is the glory that belongs to our country and this nation! We have experienced thousands of years of ups and downs. We once shined everywhere, were strong for a while, but also suffered humiliation and suffered several dangers.
But we did not give in in the end. Our civilization was passed down and led us to stand tenaciously.
This is the greatness of "Yongle Dadian". It is not just a book, but a spirit, a cultural heritage and a spirit of continuous self-improvement.
We want to thank this book, because without its birth, many ancient books would never be seen by us today.
If we were to make a list of these books, I'm afraid it would be very long. Here we only list some of them to let everyone understand the importance of this book, such as "Old Tang Book", "Old History of the Five Dynasties", "Song Hui Yao"
"Compilation", "Xuzizhi Tongjian Changbian" and other books were later lost. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that they were compiled from the "Yongle Dadian" and circulated in the world.
So we say that "Yongle Dadian" is a pyramid in the history of Chinese culture.
In this project of building the Chinese cultural pyramid, Xie Jin was an outstanding chief engineer and designer. His contribution was actually no less than that of Xu Da and Lan Yu who conquered the frontier. Although he did not attack the city among the ten thousand armies,
He did not have the heroic spirit of breaking out of a stronghold, wielding a sword in the desert, or fighting with iron horses, but he also had his own weapons, and his weapons were his pen and ink. It was under his leadership that countless hard-working intellectuals left us with their pen and ink.
The wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors allow us to understand the glorious past and the greatness of our ancestors.
Facts have proved that those powerless scholars and scholars who are often laughed at by us are also powerful and strong, and they are equally worthy of our respect.
Who said that scholars are useless, their writings are also heroic!
speculation
"Yongle Dadian" is the most glorious achievement of Xie Jin's life, and it is also the highest point of his life. However, when the book ended, there was no figure of Jie Jin among those who rejoiced for joy, because at this time, he had already gone from the stage of life to
Gaofeng fell and was demoted to Guangxi, which was inaccessible at that time. Why did Xie Jin, a man of great talent and outstanding merit, fall into such a situation? Who should be responsible for this?
In fact, Xie Jin's situation can be described in one word - it is his own fault.
Because he did something he was not good at - speculation.
When it comes to speculation, Xie Jin is no novice. We have previously introduced his glorious deeds of rejecting the temptation of a humble official position with Emperor Jianwen and overcoming all difficulties to go to Zhu Di's side. Of course, there is a good reason for his move.
.Because Zhu Di needs him, and he also needs Zhu Di. Xie Jin has fame and talent, Zhu Di has the power and money, they just use each other.
Fang Xiaoru, the seed of reading, has been killed. In order to prove that not all scholars in the world are hard-nosed, and to prove that there are still people in the world who are willing to cooperate with the new emperor, Zhu Di naturally regarded Xie Jin who took the initiative to seek refuge as a treasure. Not only did he appoint Xie Jin as "
The editor-in-chief of "Yongle Dadian" and the second edition of Taizu's Records also entrusted him with important political responsibilities and left him an important position in the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. There were a total of seven people in this cabinet, each of whom
They were all elites. Later, two of the "Three Yangs" who made great contributions to the "Renxuan Dynasty" of the Ming Dynasty held important positions in this cabinet.
In addition, Zhu Di often talked to Xie Jin alone after getting off work (dismissing the court). In today's terms, this is called "key training." Zhu Di said more than once in front of ministers: "Getting Jie Jin is really a blessing from heaven."
Have mercy on me!"
It is really an irony that Xie Jin is famous for his political outspokenness, yet he benefits from political speculation.
Xie Jin was finally satisfied. He seemed to realize that he had not succeeded for many years just because of his political naivety at the time. Why did he have to say so many things that went against the emperor's will? Isn't it difficult for himself?
The success of this political speculation also convinced him that in the future he should no longer care about things that have nothing to do with him. Only by actively participating in politics, identifying the political direction, and putting down his political chips can he ensure his power and status.
As a result, the simple scholar who devoted himself to praying for the people and serving the country died, and was replaced by a politician who was eager to try and had a big heart.
Perhaps in the eyes of many people, this is nothing to make a fuss about. It is just a person's choice for his life. But the problem is that Xie Jin forgot an important and simple principle when making this choice, and
It was this simple principle that ruined his life.
This principle is: don't do something you're not good at.
When we were young, we often had many dreams. When we grow up, we want to do this or that. I don’t know what career today’s children want to do, but in my era, scientists were definitely the first choice. I also used to
I have fantasized about holding a reagent bottle and shaking it in the laboratory. It doesn't matter what I shake, it just feels so good.
But when they grew up, those teenagers who dreamed of it did not actually become scientists, at least most of them did not. Because during their growth, countless people and countless things told them clearly: "Stop dreaming."
, you are not this material!"
This sentence is not necessarily a blow. In many cases, it is a sincere admonition.
God is very fair. It will give different talents to different people. Some people are good at these and some are good at that. This constitutes our colorful world. Looking at Jie Jin's life, what he is good at is doing
Knowledge, not politics.
However, this man who should have immersed himself in learning tasted the sweetness of political speculation and accumulated certain experience in the long-term political struggle, so he naively believed that he had become a political master. From then on, he devoted himself to the political struggle without hesitation.
In the whirlpool.
Unfortunately, what he jumped into was not an ordinary whirlpool, but the biggest whirlpool related to the foundation of the empire - the issue of the successor.
In the war years, military generals rebelled frequently, for no other reason than power and position. To obtain power, the best way was to become the emperor yourself, but this method was too difficult (see the development history of Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang), so many military generals retreated.
Secondly, as long as you can support a new emperor, you will be the founding hero of the country in the future. The new boss will naturally not forget the poor brother and give some benefits. Although this business also has risks, for example, if the boss you meet is not named Zhao but
If your surname is Zhu, then it's over. But compared with the possible benefits, the benefits are still greater than the costs.
You can't do this in peacetime. The cost of rebellion is too high, and it is very difficult to succeed (please refer to the life experience of Comrade Zhu Di). But reaching the sky in one step is what everyone dreams of. So the ministers retreated and settled for the next best thing.
, looking for the successor to the throne in the future. Because the emperor will die one day, if you become the heir's confidant before he dies, you will be entrusted with important tasks in the future. But this line of work is also risky, because considering the special characteristics of the emperor
Identity and hobbies, as well as the long-term inequality between men and women in our country, in many cases, the number of sons of the emperor is N (N is greater than or equal to 2). And if you meet an energetic emperor (such as Kangxi), then
That's troublesome.
Therefore, choosing an heir is not a joke. It can be compared to a gamble. If you bet on the wrong thing and place the wrong chips, and the new emperor is not the one you supported, then you will be unlucky.
When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs be completed? Your master is finished, can you still have a chance to succeed?
But Xie Jin is determined to take a gamble. It should be said that he is a far-sighted person. Although Zhu Di trusts him now, Zhu Di will grow old and die. If he wants to keep his position for a long time, he must make plans early. After a long period of time, Xie Jin
Observe and finally choose your target.
In the second year of Yongle (1404), he bet all his chips in the name of a prince - Zhu Gaochi.
Regarding the power struggle between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu, we will introduce it later. Here we will only talk about some things related to Xie Jin.
In fact, the contradiction between the two Highnesses has existed since the time of Jingnan. The ministers knew it well, and Zhu Di also knew it in his heart. In fact, in terms of his original intention, he did want to pass the throne to Zhu Gaoxu, because Zhu Gaoxu had established
He has great achievements and is relatively handsome. However, Zhu Gaochi is disabled and has some problems with his eyes. If he wants to be a national leader, his image is really not good enough.
But Zhu Gaochi was the eldest son, and it was a long-standing tradition to establish the eldest son, so Zhu Di had been hesitant, so he went to seek the opinions of the Jingnan heroes. As expected, most of the people who participated in the Jingnan recommended Zhu Gaoxu, which is also true.
It is understandable, after all we have fought on the same front, and having the reputation of a comrade will make things easier in the future.
One person objected.
This man's name was Jin Zhong, who was the Minister of War at the time. Compared with the princes and nobles who supported Zhu Gaoxu, his second-rank official was really nothing. However, what is unexpected is that it was this man who influenced the final result.
This is not because of his own ability, but because behind him, there is a huge figure supporting him. And this figure is Yao Guangxiao, who is missing but seems to be everywhere.
If we look at Jin Zhong's resume, we will find that he has an entangled relationship with Yao Guangxiao. It was Yao Guangxiao who recommended him to Zhu Di, and this person's main abilities are exactly the same as Yao Guangxiao, which are divination, planning, and foresight.
Stuff. Many people even suspect that he is Yao Guangxiao's student.
Uncharacteristically, this person never changed his opinion despite being attacked by countless people, and suggested to Zhu Di that if he could not make up his mind, he might as well ask the ministers of the dynasty.
This is really brilliant. Who else were the ministers who were closest to the emperor at that time? Aren't they just those seven people? Most of them were scholars and had a very strong orthodox idea of standing up to the throne. Moreover, these people were probably already friends with Yao Guangxiao.
After establishing a relationship, the subsequent development of events also confirmed that it was Jin Zhong's suggestion that fundamentally changed the original one-sided situation.
We really have reason to suspect that the mastermind behind all this is Yao Guangxiao, who seems aloof from worldly affairs on the surface. We also have to admire this "prime minister in black", who always inserts a piece of information at critical moments and key issues.
Feet are a completely unstable factor. Wherever he appears, there will be no peace. He is present in nine out of ten places. He lives in this era. It can be said that he was born at the right time.
Now it is our turn for Mr. Xie Jin to appear. He is one of the people being questioned. In this famous conversation in history, he showed his wisdom and proved that his evaluation of the most talented person in the Ming Dynasty was not false.
, and facts have proven that it was his words (three words to be exact) that set the overall situation.
Both sides got straight to the point.
Zhu Di asked: "Who do you think should be appointed?"
Xie Jin replied: "The prince (referring to Zhu Gaochi) is kind and kind, so he should be made the crown prince."
Zhu Di stopped talking. But Jie Jin understood that this was a negative expression, and he did not panic, because he still had a trump card. As long as he told the next reason, Zhu Gaochi would be the top one!
Xie Jin bowed again and said, "What a great saint!"
Zhu Di smiled, Xie Jin also laughed, and the matter was settled.
The so-called good sage grandson refers to Zhu Gaochi's son Zhu Zhanji (later Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty). This man was naturally intelligent and was deeply loved by Zhu Di. Xie Jin grasped the most critical points and made great contributions to Zhu Gaochi.
This was a conversation that went down in history. In this conversation, Xie Jin gave full play to his solid talents and psychological knowledge, and made a huge contribution to this most important event in the empire. Of course, this contribution was compared to Zhu Gaochi.
In terms of.
After learning about this, Zhu Gaochi was very grateful to Xie Jin. He limped to Xie Jin's residence and thanked him personally.
Zhu Gaochi was relieved, and so was Xie Jin. One was assured that the throne was in hand, and the other was assured that the power would remain unchanged.
However, it turns out that they were all too optimistic. We will talk about Zhu Gaochi later. Let’s first explain Xie Jin. The problem with Xie Jin is that he does not understand at all that the so-called overall situation is relative. As long as Zhu Di does not die for one day, Zhu Gaochi
He can only be his crown prince, and the crown prince is just the heir to the throne, not the owner, and cannot guarantee Xie Jin's status and safety.
What's more serious is that Xie Jin's behavior of supporting Zhu Gaochi has made him a thorn in Zhu Gaoxu's side. But Xie Jin doesn't know that even if Zhu Gaoxu can't solve Zhu Gaochi, it's more than enough to solve a small Jie Jin.
However, Xie Jin was still immersed in the joy of success. He was too arrogant. He seemed to think that his ability to engage in Machiavellian tactics was as good as learning. But he was wrong. His two tricks were simply trivial in front of political veterans.
A child's trick. A disaster is about to strike Xie Jin.
It came so quickly.
In the second year of Yongle (1404), Zhu Di made Zhu Gaochi the crown prince, but things did not go as Xie Jin expected. He also far underestimated Zhu Gaoxu's political power. In fact, with the continuous development of Zhu Gaoxu's political power, he
His status and power have even surpassed that of the prince's party. Moreover, his behavior has become increasingly rampant, and the etiquette he uses can already match that of the prince.
At this time, Xie Jin made the most wrong decision in his life. He went to make a small report to Zhu Di. The content of the report was that Zhu Gaoxu's inappropriate behavior should be stopped immediately, otherwise it would cause greater controversy.
What a joke. Of course, someone will care about Zhu Gaoxu's etiquette. Your surname is not Zhu, and you are not a relative of Zhu Di. How can you care? At this time, Xie Jin's mind is full of Zhu Di's positive comments about him, such as "I
I can't live without Xie Jin even a day, Xie Jin was given to me by God" and other disgusting words. In his opinion, Zhu Di was obedient to his words.
However, this time Zhu Di just told him coldly: Got it.
Jie Jin is too naive. He doesn't know that Zhu Di is fundamentally a politician. Politicians cannot be trusted when they say anything. When you are useful to him or when he asks for something from you, he will be obedient to you. He can't wait to see you.
Call you grandpa. But after the matter is done, you will immediately resume your grandson status. Obviously, Xie Jin got the wrong seniority.
Zhu Di gave Xie Jin some colors, and Xie Jin was ready to open a dyeing workshop. He also forgot to ask Zhu Di for a business license.
After this incident happened, Jie Jin was labeled as interfering in the internal affairs of the family in Zhu Di's heart. What is your Jie Jin? When will it be your turn to take charge of the internal affairs of the first family?
After that, Jie Jin's status plummeted, and he gradually lost Zhu Di's trust. In addition, he opposed Zhu Di's sending troops to conquer Annan (today's Vietnam, we will introduce this matter in detail later), which made Zhu Di hate him even more. So, this year's number one favorite
Chen, the editor-in-chief of "Yongle Dadian" and the Records of Taizu, became a redundant person in Zhu Di's eyes. Everything he did did not get Zhu Di's approval, but was replaced by constant rebuke and criticism.
Zhu Di hated him and didn't want to see this person again. He just wanted him to go as far away as possible. But he was not in a hurry to do it because he still needed Jie Jin to do something big for him.
This major event is the compilation of the "Yongle Dadian". If Xie Jin is driven away at this time, the completion of the Dadian will inevitably be affected. Thinking of this, Zhu Di temporarily suppressed a bad breath in his stomach.
Sadly, Xie Jin knew nothing about this. He was still immersed in the dream of being the emperor's most beloved minister and still went his own way. Zhu Di finally couldn't bear it anymore. Jie Jin was too arrogant and didn't know how to advance or retreat. So, in
In February of the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Zhu Di, who couldn't bear it anymore, finally drove Xie Jin out of the court while he was still compiling books, and sent him to Guangxi as a counselor.
This was a bolt from the blue for Xie Jin. He could no longer compile a good book, and he could not become a Hanlin bachelor or cabinet member. He actually had to pack up his backpack and go to backward areas to carry out poverty alleviation (Guangxi was relatively desolate at the time). It was the dream of the first minister.
After only doing it for more than four years, is it about to be ruined?
Xie Jin did not resist the order (nor did he dare) and went to Guangxi honestly. At this time, Xie Jin was full of confusion and loss, but he did not despair because he had encountered a similar situation once before and he believed
Opportunities will come again, and God will not abandon him.
After all, I am only thirty-eight years old, and the imperial court will still use me.
However, after waiting for four years, all he waited for was the job of superintendent of wages in Huazhou. If the supervisor paid him, he would pay the supervisor and he would be able to live peacefully. However, something happened to Jie Jin.
Got thrown into jail.
What happened was that in the ninth year of Yongle (1411), Xie Jin got a rare opportunity to go to Beijing to report on the governor's salary situation. It was not easy for an official in a remote area to get such an opportunity to enter the city.
Just go shopping, buy some souvenirs, and brag about it when you get back. What trouble could possibly happen?
But everyone should not forget that Comrade Xie Jin is different. He came out of the city and saw the big scenes. Now he saw the prosperity of the capital again, which aroused his infinite reverie, and he began to forget about it. It happened that Zhu Di was carrying
Half a million people had not returned from a business trip in Mongolia (the expedition to the Tatars), and Xie Jin had nothing to do. In addition, he still had the illusion of making a comeback, so he went to see the prince Zhu Gaochi privately without asking for permission.
I'm really confused. Where is Zhu Gaochi's home? Can I go there casually?
Xie Jin's ridiculous behavior didn't stop there. After he paid a private visit to the prince, he didn't wait for Zhu Di to come back or report it, and just left! Xie Jin was really dizzy.
Sure enough, when Zhu Di came back, Zhu Gaoxu immediately reported the matter to Zhu Di. Zhu Di was shocked and concluded that Xie Jin had befriended the prince and was plotting evil intentions, so he ordered the arrest of Xie Jin. In this way, a great talent of the generation, Xie Jin, stole the chicken without losing anything.
He couldn't become an official, so he became a prisoner in prison.
At this point, Xie Jin finally gave up all hope. The emperor did not trust him and the prince could not help him. Now it was completely over.
Looking back at my life, I was a young man who was successful in his ambition and high-spirited. Although he experienced ups and downs, he was able to turn the corner and reach a higher level. He was praised by hundreds of officials and admired by thousands of people. What a scenery and pride it is!
But now, except for the dark cell where no light is seen all day long, the shackles on my feet and the suffocating stench in the cell, I have nothing. If you lose, you will lose completely. If you are willing to gamble, you must admit defeat.
What Xie Jin couldn't figure out was why it failed in the end? He didn't lack the tactics and means of political struggle, but he ended up like this. He couldn't understand why.
In fact, before and after Xie Jin, countless people similar to him asked this question. But none of them found the answer. We can only say that Xie Jin participated in a competition at the wrong time and in the wrong place.
Wrong bet. From genius to prisoner, who is to blame? He can only blame himself.
end
If things ended like this, Xie Jin might spend his whole life as a prisoner, or he might be released from prison during a certain amnesty, become a common man, and find a job as a teacher to make ends meet, but God is destined to let his life be fruitful.
A tragic ending to attract more attention from later generations.
In the thirteenth year of Yongle (1415), Jin Yiwei Jigang reported the list of prisoners to Zhu Di. When Zhu Di was looking through it, he found Xie Jin's name, so he said a very high-level sentence: "Is Xie Jin still there?" (Jin Youzai)
yeah?)
Jin is still here? The meaning of this sentence is very obvious, which is to ask Ji Gang why this person is still alive, but at the same time, the other meaning of this sentence is - he should not be still alive.
Zhu Di was a master of code words. Before that, in the seventh year of Yongle (1409), he said something similar, and the target of that sentence was Ping An.
What happened was very similar. When Zhu Di was looking through the official list, he saw Ping An's name and said, "Is Ping An still there?" (Is Ping Baoer still there?)
Ping An was a very conscious person and committed suicide after hearing Zhu Di's words.
Ping An is pitiful, and Xie Jin is even more pitiful than him because he doesn't even have the right to commit suicide.
Ji Gang, who has been working as a spy for many years, is very proficient in this kind of code language. In addition, he has always had conflicts with Xie Jin, so the opening scene happened.
Xie Jin ended his life in the snow. The white snow covered Xie Jin's body and his no longer pure heart. The righteous and outspoken Xie Jin probably never imagined that he would have such an ending.
In any case, Xie Jin's life is meaningful, because no matter what he did, whether it was wrong or right, his achievements cannot be concealed. The "Yongle Dadian" edited by him has been preserved to this day, leaving us with a lot of
Wealth of knowledge, when we see those precious classics, we should remember that a man named Xie Jin worked hard for this. This alone is enough for him to win the respect of future generations.