Those things in the Ming Dynasty (full) Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 2 Ten Thousand Kingdoms Come to the Dynasty _ Chapter 8 The Emperor's Property
Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 2 Ten Thousand Kingdoms Come to the Dynasty _ Chapter 8 The Emperor's Property
Zhu Di's attitude towards the Mongolian tribes and his sweeping military expedition effectively frightened the Oara and Tatars. After returning from the victorious expedition against the Oara in the twelfth year of Yongle (1414), the borders of the Ming Empire finally calmed down, and the Oara
Dying to die, Tatars still have lingering fears. The saying "If you don't fight, you won't surrender, fight until you conquer" is very suitable here. In this way, Yongle Emperor Zhu Di used force to create a good living environment for his people. At this time, "Yongle Dadian"
The construction has been completed, the border is safe and sound, and the surrounding barbarians are vying to pay tribute to the Ming emperor. The Ming Empire is extremely beautiful.
Under the hard work of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di's father and son, the civil and military achievements of the Ming Empire reached its highest peak, the country prospered, and the prosperity of all industries once again appeared on the land of China. Although this is Zhu Di's achievement, it is fundamentally still the Zhu Yuanzhang era
The good foundation he laid is working, because Zhu Yuanzhang is like a dedicated housekeeper who has already formulated a series of policies for his descendants and asked them to implement them.
In fact, Zhu Di still followed his father's system in his era, but Zhu Di himself also had his own inventions and creations based on this. Below we will introduce several new institutions that emerged during Zhu Di's reign. These institutions will have an important impact on the subsequent
The history of the Ming Dynasty has a very far-reaching influence, and these can indeed be regarded as the results of Zhu Di's hard work. They are inventions and creations that surpass the predecessors and are worth mentioning.
Let’s start with the most important one.
This is a brand new organization, established by Zhu Di himself. But Zhu Di, the founder of this new organization, would never have dreamed that in a few decades, it would grow into a terrifying behemoth, big enough to threaten the emperor's status and
that power.
This body is the cabinet.
In the early years of Yongle, Zhu Di, who was exhausted by political affairs, finally couldn't stand it anymore. He finally learned from his father Zhu Yuanzhang's work efficiency and work spirit. Even though he worked hard day and night with all his strength, it was still difficult to complete the work.
Under this circumstance, he appointed Xie Jin and seven other people as Grand Bachelors of the Imperial Palace to participate in machine maintenance.
These seven people formed the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. From then on, Zhu Di had to discuss with these seven people before making decisions on matters such as war, employment, and even the establishment of a prince. His powers and responsibilities were not insignificant.
But unexpectedly, the official positions of the cabinet members were only fifth rank, which was far lower than that of central officials such as Shangshu and Shilang. This was also carefully set up by Zhu Di. He was also wary of the cabinet. In order to prevent these seven people from becoming too powerful,
He deliberately lowered the ranks of these so-called cabinet members. He seemed to think that this would effectively control the cabinet.
Later facts proved that he was wrong.
No one could have imagined that this small, inconspicuous organization would eventually become the centerpiece of the Ming Empire's rule. A cabinet minister with only a fifth rank at that time would become the leader of hundreds of officials. What's even more incredible is the vitality of this organization.
It will actually be longer than the Ming Dynasty!
It has transformed from an institution into a system, which has continued for more than five hundred years since then and has become an extremely important part of China's feudal political system.
In our subsequent narration, this institution will often appear in our articles, and countless loyal, traitorous, and rebellious ministers will perform their lives on this stage.
The cabinet is important, but the popularity of the next agency is far greater than it. This department established by Zhu Di for a special purpose has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years, and its name is often entangled with crimes and conspiracies.
The name of this department is Dongchang.
We have mentioned the Jinyiwei secret service department before. Although this department was once abolished by Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di restored the organization of the department soon after he ascended the throne. The reason is simple: Zhu Di needed spies.
People like Zhu Di who came to power by rebellion, although they didn't say it with their mouths, they were very weak in their hearts. Those who conspired on their own must always think that others were also conspiring. In order to monitor the officials more effectively, he re-appointed the Jin Yiwei.
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But not long after, Zhu Di felt that Jin Yiwei was not easy to use. After all, these people were from good citizens and had close contacts with officials. However, Zhu Di, in a scientific spirit of doubting everything and denying everything, decided that these people were not reliable either.
.
This is going to be difficult. The agents are not reliable yet, so who is?
eunuch
Eunuchs are the most reliable. Although these guys are uneducated, physically disabled (special class), and most of them have a bit of a perverted mentality (understandable), after all, they once helped me usurp the throne and have always been by my side, so it is right to trust them.
That's it. Let's set up an organization under the supervision of eunuchs. It will be responsible for me alone. It will be responsible for spying on intelligence. If anything happens, report directly to me for instructions. The office will be located at Dong'anmen. It will be easier to mobilize this way.
As for the name, since the headquarters is in Dong'anmen, let's call it Dongchang.
In the 18th year of Yongle (1420), Zhu Di established Dongchang, and the largest secret service agency in the Ming Dynasty entered the stage of history. Its great power, many evil deeds, and reputation are rarely matched.
Because its institution is located in Dong'anmen, it was named Dongchang. Friends who live in Beijing are interested in visiting the original location. The specific address is the north of Wangfujing Street in Beijing today, and its name is also called Dongchang Hutong.
Dongchang has been very impressive since its establishment, which is mainly reflected in the customs and security seal of Dongchang. Other departments' official seals simply state the name of the department, but Dongchang's customs and security seal is quite different. Specifically, it has fourteen large characters.
: "Imperial Envoy Governor Dongchang Official School Office Eunuch Guanfang". Although the grammar is not necessarily smooth, it is very stylish. In my opinion, such a mark also has a certain anti-counterfeiting effect. After all, street vendors who privately engrave official seals must engrave
Such a large number of words will take more effort and cost more.
At first, Dongchang was only responsible for investigation and arresting people, and did not have the power to judge. The captured criminals had to be handed over to the Fusi of Jinyiweibei Town for trial. However, later, in order to facilitate unjust, false and wrong cases, the principle was that I have what I have, and I have the advantage of what I have.
Dongchang gave full play to his enthusiasm and opened his own prison.
The Dongchang has thousands of households, hundreds of households, foremen, foremen, housekeepers and other positions, but the specific work is done by the captain and the captain. They have a wide range of responsibilities. They are in charge of everything, watch everything, and the court will review cases.
The factory had to send people to hear the trial; the various yamen of the imperial court went to work, and the East Factory sent people to work, and the East Factory had to send people to check various documents of the Sixth Department; and that is not all, what is even more shocking is that these people are also responsible for market research.
Even the price of a pound of cabbage and radish in the vegetable market today must be recorded.
These all-pervasive people not only monitor the officials, but also their fellow guards, which shows their great power.
Being able to command such a large organization and possessing such great power, the leader of Dongchang has become a profession that is envied by everyone, but this profession has an innate restriction: he must be a eunuch (there are gains and losses).
The leader of Dongchang is called the eunuch of Dongchang Zhangyin, and he is the second-ranking eunuch.
The number one figure is naturally the famous eunuch, the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
These Dongchang spies were spying on the common people, but they also had idols and creeds they admired. Next to the government office hall of Dongchang, a small hall was set up specifically to worship this idol.
I believe everyone would never have thought that this idol who has a large number of Dongchang admirers is actually Yue Fei.
What is even more ridiculous is that the staff of Dongchang also built an archway in front of the lobby of Dongchang and wrote their own motto - Fragrance will last forever.
Baishi Liufang believes that they can't do it anymore, and it is very possible that he will be infamy for thousands of years. But if poor Yue Fei knew that there were still such a group of people who regarded him as their idol, I'm afraid he wouldn't be happy.
I would also like to point out here that please don’t believe the nonsense about the so-called supreme eunuch masters in "New Dragon Inn". In reality, the eunuchs of Dongchang do not have any sunflower manuals at hand. Most of the specific things such as arresting people and committing crimes are
It was done by normal people working under the eunuchs of the East Factory.
Since the establishment of this organization, not only the officials of the imperial court were unlucky, but the Jin Yiwei were also depressed, because they were originally spies, but the people from Dongchang became spies monitoring the spies, and the status of the Jin Yiwei was greatly affected.
Before the establishment of Dongchang, Jinyiwei was also a promising profession. Many "ambitious young people" devoted themselves to the Ming Dynasty's spy career for various purposes. However, after the emergence of the Dongchang organization, its momentum overshadowed Jinyiwei.
Stealing Jin Yiwei's limelight.
The reason is also very simple. Dongchang is directly responsible to the emperor, and its leader, the eunuch Dongchang Zhangyin, is someone close to the emperor. His relationship with the emperor is not ordinary, and it is not comparable to the leader of Jinyiwei, the commander of Jinyiwei.
Therefore, in the subsequent historical development of the Ming Dynasty, Jinyiwei and Dongchang, who were originally on the same level, gradually became a superior-subordinate relationship. Some Jinyiwei commanders even knelt down and kowtowed when meeting the eunuchs of Dongchang.
However, there are always exceptions. In the history of spies in the Ming Dynasty, there was a Jinyiwei commander who relied on his own talents and efforts to overwhelm Dongchang for the first time. This commander was very powerful. During his tenure as commander, the Jinyiwei's
The prestige and power are far greater than those of Dongchang, which shows that everything depends on man-made efforts.
This person who can be called the strongest Jin Yiwei in the Ming Dynasty was a heavyweight figure who had powerful power and far-reaching political influence in his era. We will introduce his life in detail in future articles.
The last one introduced is a title we often hear in TV dramas-Governor.
Everyone should be familiar with this name. This name first appeared in the Yongle period, and it can be regarded as Zhu Di's invention. In fact, the governor at that time and the governor after that were not the same thing.
We have introduced before that during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, the Zhongshu Province was abolished and the Chief Envoy was established. The highest official was the Chief Envoy, who was in charge of the affairs of the province. His status was equivalent to our today's provincial governor. Originally, the Chief Envoy's management was considered normal.
But Zhu Yuanzhang had a hobby - decentralization. He would never trust all the power of a province to one person, so he also set up two additional departments to take charge of justice and military affairs.
These two departments are the Prosecution and Prosecution Department and the Du Commander's Department, respectively. The highest officers are the Procurator and Du Commander.
Lao Zhu did this kind of thing just to facilitate the control of provincial affairs and prevent local governments from getting too big. His intention was not bad, but the subsequent development of things was beyond his expectation. This is because his move was in line with a Chinese saying
As the saying goes:
The three monks had no water to drink.
Although the powers of these three officers are not the same. The chief envoy is in charge of civil affairs and finance, the inspector general is in charge of justice, and the envoy is in charge of military affairs. However, they all work in the provincial capital, and they do not look up when they look down. The relationship is not good, and it is also
It is very troublesome. On weekdays, none of the three families obeys the other. In peacetime, it is easier to handle. But if there is a natural disaster such as a flood or drought, it will be very troublesome if there is no unified deployment, especially at that time, there were often mass uprisings like peasants.
There is no general commander in charge of the activities. Maybe when the peasant army invades the government office, these three adults will still be arguing about who is the boss.
In order to deal with the problem of these three monks, the central government thought of a way, which was to send someone from the central government to manage the affairs of the province. This person who was similar to the central commissioner was called a governor.
It should be noted that the central government does not randomly send people to serve as governors. In China, where seniority is very serious, those who can be sent to take charge of affairs are not ordinary people. Generally speaking, these governors are ministers (deputy ministerial level) of various ministries.
).
Contrary to what many people think, during the Yongle period, there was actually no official title of governor among the central officials. The so-called governor was just a temporary official position. The original intention of the central government was to send someone to take care of things, and you would come back after the things were done.
Continue to be your deputy minister.
However, as luck would have it, it is easy for central officials to handle small matters when they go to the local level. However, if they encounter major issues such as ethnic disputes and peasant rebellions, they will not be able to return in a year and a half. If such a thing happens, the governor will be in trouble.
I have been busy running around here and there for most of the year, solving problems here and causing trouble there. During the holidays, migrant workers can go home to celebrate the New Year, but some harried governors cannot return home for several years.
It was originally just a temporary job, but it often never came back. The governor also had a wife and children, and there were also problems such as husband and wife separation, children's schooling, etc. It was really hard for these adults to hang out for a long time, and the central government was also in trouble. It was often this person who had just arrived on tour.
There were also reports on where something went wrong that the local government could not handle and needed to be dispatched again. This cycle also affected the deployment of central personnel. Therefore, in the subsequent historical development, the governor gradually changed from a temporary special commissioner to a permanent special commissioner, and the personnel were still considered to be central personnel.
There are many people, but the actual offices are all in the same place, so there is no need to travel several times a year.
Since we talk about governor, we have to talk about two official positions related to it.
Although the governor is a high-ranking official, he is not the largest local official. In fact, there are two levels higher than the governor. It is these two levels of officials that can truly be regarded as pivotal figures.
After the Ming Dynasty government established the governor system, new problems arose, because the peasant rebels at that time often changed locations, which was the so-called shooting to change locations, which was also considered a type of guerrilla warfare. From Shandong to Hebei
Run, people from Hubei ran to Hunan. When encountering this situation, the governors were in trouble. For example, the governor of Zhejiang led his troops to chase the rebels, and they were about to catch up. In the end, these people ran to Fujian, and the terrain of Zhejiang governor was unfamiliar.
, it is not convenient to go to other people's territory, so they will ask the Fujian governor or the commander-in-chief to cooperate. If the relationship is good, that's it, it is a favor to you. If the relationship is not good, it will be troublesome, and others can look at it.
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Who are you? What's your surname? Why should I obey your orders?"
In order to deal with this situation, the central government had to send higher-level officials (usually ministers, ministerial level) to local areas to handle affairs, specifically in charge of governors. These people are the so-called governors.
The governor generally oversees two provinces or one large province (for example, the governor of Sichuan only oversees Sichuan) and can issue orders to the governor.
It was said that the matter would be resolved here, but the policy really could not keep up with the situation. In the late Ming Dynasty, after fierce men like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong came out, the guerrillas turned into regular armies.
People don't take your little governor or governor seriously at all. The regular army doesn't fight small troubles. If it wants to fight, it will attack provincial capitals. If a trouble occurs in several provinces, the governor can't control it.
In this case, the largest local officials in China's history appeared on the scene. The Ming Dynasty government, which was tired of coping, finally had to create a new official name - governor. This official was specifically in charge of the governor. Wherever the peasant army caused trouble, he would
No matter where they are in charge, of course, the highest-level local officials are usually held concurrently by bachelors, the highest civil servants in the central government.
The above three institutions or official positions were all pioneered by Zhu Di during the Yongle period. Their effects are good and bad. We introduce them here because in the following articles, we will often deal with them, so we must first
Lay a foundation.
Compared with these institutions, Zhu Di left a more precious treasure to his descendants. It was this treasure that not only created the Yongle era, but also maintained this prosperous and powerful situation after Zhu Di's death.
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This treasure is talent.
Zhu Di, like Zhu Yuanzhang, was a very accomplished and wise monarch in Chinese history, but overall, Zhu Di was a level below Zhu Yuanzhang in all aspects, except for one thing.
This is the perspective of talent.
We have previously introduced the three people Zhu Yuanzhang left to his grandchildren. It turns out that these three people are veritable nerds with extremely limited functions. Zhu Di also left three people for his descendants, but these three people are different from the previous ones.
Qi and Huang are very different.
They are true political talents.
Since all three of them were named Yang, they were called "Three Yangs" in history.
They were the most outstanding figures of that era, and each had their own specialties. Not only were they capable, but they were also scheming. They survived through four dynasties and were called strange people. Below we will introduce their legendary experiences one by one.
The first person: Yang Shiqi, who is knowledgeable and upright
If we want to select one of the famous prosperous times in Chinese history - the first founder of the prosperous age of Renxuan, I am afraid that it will not be the turn of the two emperors Renxuan. This honor belongs to Yang Shiqi, because without him, Zhu Gaochi may not be the so-called
Ming Renzong.
This legendary civil servant was active in the four dynasties, controlled the government, and had unlimited glory, but he deserved all of this. In order to get to this point, he paid too much.
In the twenty-fifth year of Zhizheng (1365), Yang Shiqi was born in Yuanzhou. It was the time when Zhu Yuanzhang was making revolution. There were wars everywhere and people were in dire straits. In order to avoid famine, Yang Shiqi's parents took him around and lived a very hard life.
When Yang Shiqi was one and a half years old, his father Yang Mei finally gained complete relief from the troubled times and passed away.
As a child, Yang Shiqi did not know how to grieve, and he had no time to grieve, because he had to follow his mother to continue running for survival. God is fair. Although he did not give Yang Shiqi a happy childhood, he gave him a good mother.
Yang Shiqi's mother is a very far-sighted person. Even when she was wandering around, she never forgot to do one thing - teach Yang Shiqi to read. In those years of war, she discarded a lot of luggage, but she always carried her with her.
A book - "The Great Learning", I am ashamed to say that I did not read this book until I was twenty years old, but Mr. Yang Shiqi could already memorize it at the age of five. Every time I read this, I will sigh that the new society is good.
At that time, it was estimated that you would still be a child until you were in your forties or fifties.
Reading requires talent, and Yang Shiqi is very talented. However, studying also requires another more important thing, and that is money.
Yang Shiqi has no money, and neither does his mother.
If you don't have money, you can't afford to go to a private school, you can't study, you can't take the Beijing exam, and you can't be an official. After all, the imperial examination is not just about "university".
In this way, Yang Shiqi and his mother ushered in a turning point in their lives amid the suffering of poverty.
In the fourth year of Hongwu (1371), Yang Shiqi's mother remarried, and Yang Shiqi had a stepfather from then on, a serious and stern stepfather.
This stepfather's name is Luo Xing, who is also Yang Shiqi's teacher.
Luo Xing, also known as Zili, was actually not an ordinary person. He came from a noble family and was already a famous celebrity at that time. He also held an official position and had an upright personality, but he was arrogant by nature and looked down upon others.
Yang Shiqi moved into Luo Xing's home with curiosity and fear, which was, of course, his own home.
Luo Xing was a very stern and aloof person, and he didn't have a good look at this child who came into the house with his newly married wife (or concubine) but was not a blood relative of him. This seemed to be a very natural thing.
Not long after entering the Luo family, Yang Shiqi was forced to change his surname to Luo. This seemed normal. The person who feeds you always has some kind of power.
In this way, Yang Shiqi started his life in this strange environment. Although he changed his surname to Luo, he was not a child of another family after all. Different treatment was always there, and Luo did not attach much importance to him. In this regard, even the young Yang Shiqi
He can also feel it. The only thing he can do is to be more careful and try not to cause trouble, so as not to cause trouble to him and his mother.
Two years later, Yang Shiqi, who was only eight years old, made an amazing move that changed his life situation.
In the sixth year of Hongwu (1373), the Luo family held a ceremony to worship their ancestors. Yang Shiqi, who was still a child, was touched. He thought of his late father and his wandering life, and he also wanted to worship his father and relatives.
However, there will never be a place for the Yang family in the Luo family's ancestral hall, and if he publicly worships his family, he may not make his stepfather Luo Xing happy.
The little boy, who was only eight years old, did not give up. He picked up clods of soil from outside and made it into the shape of a god. He found a corner where no one noticed and solemnly knelt down and saluted his deceased father.
What Yang Shiqi didn't know was that his behavior that he thought was secretive was noticed by someone, and that person was none other than Luo Xing.
Soon after, Luo Xing found Yang Shiqi and told him that he had seen his behavior of worshiping his ancestors. He also told him that from now on, he would restore his surname of Yang and no longer use his surname of Luo.
Yang Shiqi was very panicked. He thought Luo Xing didn't want to raise him anymore and wanted to kick him out.
Luo Xing shook his head and sighed: "My sons are not up to par. I hope you can take care of them a little in the future."
He then sighed: "You are only eight years old, but you are able to live in the care of others without sacrificing your ambitions and without forgetting your ancestors. You will become a great person in the future! You don't have to change your surname. You will definitely not disgrace your biological father's surname in the future."
Luo Xing is right, ambition never begins with age.
From then on, Luo Xing began to take a special look at Yang Shiqi and made great efforts to train him and provide him with education.
If things continue like this, Yang Shiqi should pass all the examinations and eventually become a Jinshi and become an official in the court, because he does have the ability, but God is really playing tricks on people.
Just a year later, Luo Xing was demoted to a distant place due to a crime, and the lives of Yang Shiqi and his mother were once again in trouble. However, in this difficult environment, the ambitious Yang Shiqi did not give up hope. He still studied hard and studied hard.
Fight for your future.
Due to his poor family, Yang Shiqi had no way to go to Beijing to take the exam to gain fame like other scholars. In order to supplement his family income, he went to work as a teacher in a rural private school at the age of fifteen. There were many private schools at that time and there was no monopoly industry. Each student paid part of the tuition when he enrolled.
There is no need to go to the Academic Affairs Office to pay in one lump sum at the beginning of the school year. If you feel that your husband is not teaching well, you can leave at any time. Therefore, the level of the teacher is the key to determining his income. The more students he has, the more he will earn. Since he has a solid foundation in knowledge, many people will do it.
His student, but after all, in a poor rural area, his income is still very meager and he can only make ends meet.
Yang Shiqi and his mother lived in poverty. Soon after, he used his actions to interpret the meaning of the adage that a poor person has an endless ambition.
A friend of Yang Shiqi's family was also very poor, but he had no other way to make a living, and there were elderly people to support at home, so he couldn't survive. Yang Shiqi took the initiative to find him and asked him if he had read the Four Books. Although this man was poorer,
He still had some knowledge, so he replied that he had read it. Yang Shiqi immediately said that he could give him half of the students he taught and half of the teaching reward.
His friend was very moved because he knew that Yang Shiqi also had a mother to support and his family was very poor. Under such circumstances, it was really extraordinary that he could still be so righteous.
Yang Shiqi, who had lost half of his income, went home and told his mother about the incident. He thought that his mother would be unhappy. After all, his already very poor family could not withstand such a torment. But to his surprise, his mother was unhappy.
She said to him very happily: "If you can do this, I will raise you up in vain!"
Yes, poor people also have dignity and faith. It was precisely because of such a sensible mother that Yang Shiqi later became a famous minister.
This is how Yang Shiqi grew up. He continued to work hard in the face of difficulties, persisted in his faith in poverty, and finally achieved success in his career.
When a person is poor, his ambition cannot be short-lived!
Yang Shiqi, who had no fame, had an official career that was not smooth. He first served as a lecturer in the county (similar to today's county education bureau officials). The lecturer was a minor official, just hanging around in the yamen all day long. However, Yang Shiqi failed as an official.
He didn't even mess around.
Not long after, Yang Shiqi actually lost his school seal at work. In that era, losing the government seal was a big deal. It was much more serious than today's police officers losing their guns, and it was possible to go to jail. At this time
, Yang Shiqi showed his flexible side.
If Fang Xiaoru lost his seal, he would probably write dozens of self-criticisms and then go to the local government to surrender. He would have to reflect on himself all the time while in jail. Yang Shiqi didn't have so many tricks, so he just abandoned his official position and ran away.
Yang Shiqi is really not a nerd!
After that, the fugitive Yang Shiqi wandered around the world. He should be called a fugitive in quotation marks, because the county government would not waste time and effort to hunt him down. To put it bluntly, he was not even worthy of being hunted. After more than 20 years,
He worked for private schools everywhere to support himself. Fortunately, his long years of wandering did not turn him into a bastard. After work, he continued to study hard, and his academic level has reached a considerable height.
After spending a long period of wandering life studying and teaching, Yang Shiqi finally waited for a turning point in his life.
In the second year of Jianwen (1400), Emperor Jianwen summoned Confucian scholars to write "Records of Taizu". Thirty-six-year-old Yang Shiqi was recommended as the editor because of his solid historical and literary skills.
During the compilation process, Yang Shiqi completed the work well with his profound literary and historical talents, and was praised by Fang Xiaoru, the editor-in-chief of the book, and actually became the vice president of "Records of Taizu" in one fell swoop.
After Yongle succeeded to the throne, Yang Shiqi was really put into important use. He, together with Xie Jin and others, were appointed as one of the seven members of the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. Since then, he has become Zhu Di's important minister.
Like Xie Jin, he was not a peaceful person. Soon after, he was involved in the dispute over the establishment of the crown prince. Both he and Xie Jin supported Zhu Gaochi, but unlike Xie Jin, he was much smarter.
The difficult experiences in his youth have tempered Yang Shiqi, making him mature and scheming. He is very cautious, and he always keeps to himself what others say to him. He never speaks out easily and leaks secrets. He is a loyal supporter of the prince.
, but never showed it clearly, its city mansion can be seen.
The reason why Yang Shiqi was able to achieve something successful can be roughly summed up in one sentence:
When you first debut, you should be low-key, and then keep low-key.
Although Yang Shiqi is good at machinations and tricks, it turns out that he is not a slippery two-faced person. In this life-and-death struggle for the throne, he always stood firmly on Zhu Gaochi's side, and relied on his wisdom and loyalty to finally defeat his political opponents.
, helped Zhu Gaochi ascend to the emperor's throne.
During the Yongle period, the most brutal political struggle was the battle for the throne between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu. In this struggle, countless heads fell to the ground, countless ministers bowed, and conspiracies emerged in endlessly. Both sides had their own ingenious plans. The process was full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and the struggle continued.
It lasted until the night of Zhu Di's death. One man took great risks, secretly set out overnight, and traveled for a month to report the news, and the winner was determined.
In fact, not only Yang Shiqi participated in this struggle, but the other two of the three Yangs we will introduce below were also not idle. They are all powerful generals of the princelings. In subsequent articles, we will introduce in detail this earth-shattering
The battle for the throne.
The second person: the resourceful Yang Rong
Yang Rong, whom we will introduce next, is the second Yang among the three Yangs. Although he does not have the outstanding political talents and academic foundation of Yang Shiqi, he has an ability that others cannot match - accurate judgment.
Yang Rong, born in the fourth year of Hongwu (1371), was born in Fujian, and his original name was Yang Zirong (note the distinction). Although he did not go deep into the tiger's den and annihilate the bandits, his great wisdom and bravery could indeed be compared with that of the later fighting hero.
Unlike Yang Shiqi, he did not suffer so much when he was a child. His family environment was good, and he followed the old path of studying, taking exams, and becoming an official. In the second year of Jianwen (1400), he passed the Jinshi examination. Due to his excellent performance, he was
Granted the post of editor, the so-called Hanlin.
The Hanlin Academy during Emperor Jianwen's time was a place where nerds gathered. It's no wonder. After all, the people in power were people like Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru. It was normal for people to follow the example of others.
However, later facts proved that Yang Rong, the top student, was very different from his colleagues. He was not a nerd, but a thoughtful strategist.
Like Yang Shiqi, this resourceful man was only re-employed during the Yongle period, but his rise to prominence is legendary because he relied not on talent and learning, but on one word.
In the fourth year of Jianwen (1402), Zhu Di finally defeated the stubborn Southern army, entered the capital, and won the throne. Now he only had one thing left to do - ascend the throne.
However, as he rode towards the hall, something unexpected happened.
A man stood up and blocked his way (to meet the horse's head).
This person is none other than Yang Rong.
Since the situation at that time was relatively chaotic and it was difficult to distinguish between friends and foes, it was difficult to guarantee that some ministers loyal to Emperor Jianwen would not play tricks similar to those of terrorists and Jing Ke. People around him were very nervous, and Zhu Di himself was also shocked, but he would not
Come to think of it, what surprised him even more was what came next.
Yang Rong actually told him that he should not enter the palace and ascend the throne now.
Shouldn't I ascend the throne? What a joke! I have been fighting for so many years, pretending to be stupid for so long, and dying so many people just for the sake of the throne, but this scholar in front of me dares to stop me from ascending the throne. Why! How ridiculous!
Everyone present had almost concluded that Yang Rong had gone crazy and were preparing to collect his body.
But Yang Rong really prevented Zhu Di from ascending the throne and convinced Zhu Di to do it. However, he accomplished this impossible task with only one sentence.
"Should Your Highness go to pay homage to the mausoleum first, or to ascend the throne first?" (Which should come first to contain the mausoleum or to ascend the throne?)
One word awakens the dreamer.
As we have said before, Zhu Di's rebellion was cloaked in the guise of legality. To put it crudely, he wanted to be a bitch and build an archway at the same time. The victory went to his head. He actually forgot to set up an archway for a while and just wanted to build a memorial arch.
Being a bitch. No matter how you say it, it would be inappropriate if you don’t pay respects to your father’s grave first. Zhu Di quickly turned his horse’s head and went to pay his respects to his father’s grave.
From this incident, we can see that Yang Rong is extremely shrewd. He has understood Zhu Di's psychology and the truth about the power struggle under the fig leaf. Such a person is much smarter than his superiors Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng.
times.
Zhu Di, who was also cunning and cunning, remembered this man named Yang Rong from then on. After he came to the throne, he reused Yang Rong and called him into the cabinet and became a member of the seven-member cabinet.
The seven cabinet members at that time were all famous people in the world, but among them, Yang Rong was not conspicuous. He did not have Jie Jin's talent and learning, nor did he have Yang Shiqi's political ability. He was not an eye-catching person, but this decision
It's not that his abilities are incompetent. In fact, what he is good at is another skill - making decisions.
The so-called judgment refers to strategy and judgment. These are supposed to be the expertise of people like Yao Guangxiao. It is puzzling that Yang Rong, who has been familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics since he was a child and should be an honest scholar, is good at these. However, he is good at judging situations.
It is an indisputable fact, and the following example can illustrate the problem very well.
One night, an urgent report suddenly came from the border. Ningxia was besieged by the Mongolian army. The defender sent people hundreds of miles away to report urgently. This was an emergency military situation. Zhu Di also quickly got up and went to the cabinet to discuss how to deal with it with ministers (the cabinet was on duty 24 hours a day).
(system, change every seven days), it happened that that night, it was Yang Rong who was on duty.
Zhu Di came to the cabinet in a hurry, handed the report to Yang Rong, and asked him what he thought.
Contrary to Zhu Di's expectation, Yang Rong did not panic at all after reading it, and his expression was relaxed and natural, as if the eunuch was not anxious but the emperor was.
Zhu Di was angry and anxious, but Yang Rong said to him slowly: "Your Majesty, please wait a little longer. There will definitely be a second relief report from Ningxia."
Zhu Di looked at him curiously and asked him to tell him the reason. Yang Rong did not dare to play too deep at this moment, because Zhu Di was not a very patient person with ministers.
Yang Rong said confidently: "I understand the situation in Ningxia. The city defenses there are strong and they have been fighting for a long time. The soldiers are experienced enough to resist the surrounding Mongolian troops. Judging from the date when they issued the first report, it has been ten years since today.
Yu Tian, by now Ningxia should have come out of the siege, and a second report will inevitably be issued."
Soon after, Zhu Di received the second report of the rescue. Zhu Di, who considered himself an expert in predicting events, admired Yang Rong very much and gave him a more glorious task - to join the army.
Zhu Di realized that Yang Rong was a man who could make good decisions. In the battle against Mongolia, such a talent was exactly what he needed, so during the expedition in the twelfth year of Yongle (1414), Yang Rong accompanied Zhu Di.
, performed well and gained Zhu Di's trust. Zhu Di handed over the most important thing in the army, the seal, to Yang Rong for safekeeping. Moreover, all matters such as edicts in the army must be reported by Yang Rong before they are issued. It can be said that
, Yang Rong is Zhu Di’s personal secretary.
One of the big reasons why Zhu Di trusted Yang Rong so much was that he was impartial and did not participate in the struggle for the throne between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu. He had no gang background. Of course, this was just Zhu Di's idea.
What Zhu Di didn't expect was that this seemingly obedient Yang Rong was not as simple as he appeared. Zhu Di granted Yang Rong the power of sealing letters and reporting just to ask him to work hard. However, this Yang Rong took advantage of this.
A convenient condition, a critical thing was done at a critical moment.
In July of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), when Zhu Di died of illness, the man who made a prompt decision, traveled thousands of miles to report the news of Zhu Di's death to the prince, bought precious time for the prince to ascend the throne, and made careful plans was the man who had always kept a low profile.
Yang Rong. Because his true identity is the same as Yang Shiqi, he is an out-and-out princeling.
The third person: Yang Pu who is not afraid of danger
The Yang Pu I’m going to talk about below has a big gap in fame and achievements compared to the two people introduced before, but he is the most legendary among the three. Others are famous, and he relies on his talent and learning to be reused.
and ability, but he relied on being in jail.
Yang Pu, born in the fifth year of Hongwu (1372), was born in Shishou, Hubei. He was a Jinshi in the second year of Jianwen (1400). He was a Jinshi classmate of Yang Rong. What is even more rare is that he was also awarded the title of editor and became Yang Rong.
colleagues, but unlike Yang Rong, Yang Pu was a born princeling, because in the first year of Yongle, he was sent to serve Zhu Gaochi and was considered an early party member.
After all, Zhu Di was still too naive. The relationship between Yang Rong and Yang Pu was classmates and colleagues, plus the inherent political stance of the seven-member civil servant group in the cabinet to support the prince. It would be hard to believe that Yang Rong was not a princeling.
Yang Pu does not have the outstanding talents of Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong. He has assisted the prince for more than ten years, but has not made any big achievements and is not eye-catching. If this continues, even if the prince ascends the throne in the future, he will not have much future, but Yongle
An unexpected event happened twelve years ago that changed his fate. However, this unexpected event was really not a good thing.
In the twelfth year of Yongle (1414), the "East Palace Welcome Incident" occurred. This was an event with a profound political background. The real mastermind behind the scenes was Zhu Gaoxu. In this incident, the princelings were severely hit and almost
After a setback, many ministers were imprisoned as scapegoats, and Yang Pu was one of the countless ordinary scapegoats.
Since Yang Pu's work unit was the Prince's East Palace, he was identified as the person directly responsible, enjoyed special treatment, and was imprisoned in a special prison - Jinyiwei's Prison.
The Imperial Prison of Jinyiwei is a prison with a long history and a very high reputation. Those with lower levels are not allowed to enter it (the standards will be lowered in the later period, and everyone will be imprisoned). Those who can enter are either extremely vicious or high-ranking officials. The so-called inability to reach the prison.
, yearning for it, some ordinary prisoners are also curious about this mysterious prison. This mentality is understandable. From ancient times to the present, being in prison has always been a source of bragging rights, such as "Brother, when I was in there
", it is very majestic to say it.
In addition, there are not a few people who are famous for being jailed. They are in jail everywhere anyway. Find a prison with the highest reputation and squat. When you get out, you can brag about it, "Brother, when I was in jail," it should be able to scare people away.
There are few like-minded people.
From this point of view, going to jail can be regarded as a shortcut to fame.
However, in fact, in those days, it was not easy to become famous by being imprisoned. First, you had to be of high level, and secondly, you had to be lucky enough.
Because once you enter the imperial prison, it is not easy to get out alive.
Zhao Prison is a real hell on earth, cold and damp, with harsh environment. Although it is a high-level prison, it is by no means a model prison for hygiene. Mosquitoes and rats run everywhere, and the prison never conducts health evaluations. Anyway, these things are not bothering you.
Although the environment is harsh, the guards of Beizhen Fusi (the prison is directly under the jurisdiction of Beizhen Fusi) have never relaxed their care for the prisoners. They adhere to the management concept of being lenient on self-discipline and strict on others, and treat the prisoners
They have strict requirements and adhere to the interrogation principle of strict resistance and strict confession. They often use prisoners to practice boxing and kicking kung fu to achieve the purpose of physical exercise. At the same time, they also carry out scientific research on various torture instruments and selflessly experiment on prisoners.
The actual effects of torture instruments.
The prisoners who first entered the imperial edict spent their daily life waiting - being interrogated - being beaten (fisted, kicked, put on torture tools) - waiting. When no one interrogates you and no one beats you, it means you are
Three variables began to appear in your life: first, you are about to be beheaded; second, you are about to be released; third, you have been forgotten.
I believe that all prisoners will choose the second outcome, but unfortunately, the choice is never in their hands.
This is the imperial prison. The prisoners here have no chance to go out for fun, and there are no entertainment activities such as playing cards. Naturally, they cannot queue up to go to the auditorium to watch news reports at night.
The famous heroes Yang Jisheng, Zuo Guangdou and others of the Ming Dynasty all went to prison. After their legs were broken and their bones were exposed, no one cared about them, leaving them to fend for themselves. So we say that this is a real hell.
This is the kind of prison Yang Pu entered. He always had to suffer a little when he first came in. Soon after, he also fell into the situation of waiting in jail, but what Yang Pu didn't expect was that he would have to wait for ten years.
What's even worse is that Yang Pu's life is always shrouded in the shadow of death. The "East Palace Welcome Incident" has never been resolved, and Zhu Gaoxu is deliberately planning to use this incident to completely eliminate the princelings. Under such circumstances, Yang Pu can attack at any time
They were all in danger of being dragged out and beheaded (historical records say "he will die overnight"), but Yang Pu responded to the threat of death with an act that no one could have imagined.
If your life could end tomorrow and there was nothing you could do about it, what would you do?
I believe that in this situation, many people are preparing to write a suicide note or have a big meal to catch up on what they have not done before, and even more people are blaming everyone and complaining about the injustice of God.
These are normal human reactions, but Yang Puqi was surprised that his reaction was abnormal.
He may be taken out and beheaded tomorrow, but he is still reading, and he is reading non-stop, reading many books (reading classics and history). This is really hard to understand. In such a dangerous environment,
If your life is at risk at any time, what's the use of studying?
But this man seemed to be someone other than himself who was in prison. Every day in the smelly, dirty and damp cell, he kept studying as if he were in his own study. His self-study behavior surprised other prisoners. Later,
Even the jailer guarding him suspected that he was mentally unstable.
His behavior also aroused Zhu Di's idea. One time, Zhu Di suddenly remembered him and asked Yang Pu what he was doing now (fortunately, he was not asking if Yang Pu was still alive). The minister told him that Yang Pu was in prison every day without stopping.
read.
After Zhu Di heard this answer, he thought for a long time and issued an order to Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, asking him to guard Yang Pu well and prevent any problems.
As we said before, Zhu Di is a very high-level leader. This level is reflected in his understanding of people. He is very aware of Yang Pu's situation and psychological state. However, under such circumstances, Yang Pu can regard death as if he were at home.
, without fear, and definitely not pretending (you can’t pretend for so long), this is not easy.
It is obvious that the man named Yang Pu does not have the word fear in his heart.
Since ancient times, the most terrifying thing is not death, but waiting to die under the threat of death every day.
I don't know when it will happen, I just know it can happen at any time. This feeling of waiting to die is the most painful.
Yang Pu is not afraid of death, nor is he afraid of waiting for death. What else can be scary about such a person in the world!
What a talent!
It is for this reason that Zhu Di specifically asked people to take care of Yang Pu. Although he did not want to use Yang Pu, he could leave it to his son.
Thanks to Zhu Di's care, Yang Pu was able to spend ten years of hard life in prison. He was finally released after serving his sentence, was honorably released from prison, and was entrusted with important tasks by Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty, becoming a famous official of his generation.
After reading the life experiences of the above three people, we can know that it is not easy to get ahead in this world.
The reason why Sanyang's experience is introduced here is not only because they will play an important role in the subsequent history of the Ming Dynasty, but more importantly, they all participated in the tragic battle for the throne and played the leading role. The above content is nothing more than
These are the personal profiles of the actors involved in this struggle. Below we will begin to describe this cruel political struggle.