Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 3 The Enchanting Court _ Chapter 5 The Martial Arts Conference
To talk about the government affairs during the Chenghua period, one word can be used to perfectly summarize and describe it - it was a complete mess.
This is not surprising at all. Comrade Zhu Jianshen's leadership level is really disappointing. He can't even control his own wife, so how can he control the secretaries around him?
Under such circumstances, the politics during the Chenghua period suddenly became colorful and extremely dark, and the various political factions that emerged were even more colorful and a hundred flowers bloomed. They gathered in this chaotic arena and held a meeting with endless tricks.
A martial arts tournament where fouls are frequently committed.
Below we begin to introduce the major sects participating in the martial arts conference (in no particular order):
spring party
Full name: Aphrodisiac Research School.
Leader: Liang Fang.
The composition of his disciples: warlocks and monks.
Unique skills: research on chemicals (aphrodisiacs, now commonly known as Viagra), research on physiological hygiene knowledge;
Immortal sect
Full name: Cultivation and Immortality Sect.
Head: Li Zi Province.
The composition of his disciples: monks and Taoist priests.
Unique skills: alchemy (belonging to chemistry), Taoism;
supervisor
Full name: Internal Prison Eunuch Faction.
Head: Wang Zhi, Shang Ming.
The composition of his disciples is: eunuchs.
Unique skills: underground work (espionage), snitching;
Back faction
Full name: Harem Wife Party.
Head: Concubine Wan Guifei.
The composition of his disciples: palace maids and eunuchs.
Unique stunt: cry once, make trouble, and hang yourself (this stunt has evolved over a long period of time and is now widely used);
mixed faction
Full name: dawdle.
Head: Wan'an.
The composition of his disciples: civil servant group.
Unique skills: dawdling, impeachment (complaint)
These were the five major sects that dominated the world at that time. If I want to tell their origins and connections, please sit down and listen to me slowly:
What are rivers and lakes? Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes.
It is said that more than 2,000 years ago, a peerless master won power and unified the martial arts world, and after he was appointed as the first martial arts leader, the world fell into the glorious years of numerous factions and bloodshed.
Among the many sects, the two sects with the oldest qualifications and the highest level are the supervisor sect and the rear sect.
The status of these two sects is roughly equivalent to that of Shaolin and Wudang. Among them, the historical scientific name of the latter sect is Waiqi, and the historical scientific name of the supervisory sect is Quan Gao.
Although the two factions obey the orders of the martial arts leader (the emperor), they have been sworn enemies from the day the banner was established. They have been fighting each other to the death for thousands of years, and the two factions have also been fighting each other.
They are all masters.
For example, Zhao Gao, Shan Chao, Li Fuguo, and Yu Chaoen of the supervisory faction, as well as Empress Lu, Yang Jian, and Empress Wei of the later faction, were all accomplished experts and won great honors for their faction. The two factions
Apart from fighting, they occasionally work together. Once this happens, the leader of the martial arts alliance will take advantage of the troubled waters and continue to stir up trouble between the two factions in order to maintain his position as leader.
Of course, sometimes if the leader's martial arts skills are not high, he may be replaced by masters from the two factions. For example, Yang Jian successfully broke away from the rear faction and became the new leader of the martial arts alliance.
By the Chenghua period, this situation had not changed. The Hou sect and the Supervisor sect were still incompatible with each other, and other sects also took advantage of this opportunity to open and grow. These are the other three sects we have introduced before.
The Chun Pai is an affiliated sect of the Hou Pai. Liang Fang, the leader of the Chun Pai, was originally a merchandise buyer for Concubine Wan Guifei, the leader of the Post Pai. Because of her boldness and evil heart, she dared to line her own pockets and embezzle public funds. She did an outstanding job and was promoted.
He became the head of the Spring Sect and established his own branch.
I would also like to commend Comrade Liang Fang for his hard work and serious attitude. Everyone knows that he studies aphrodisiacs, but it is not easy for him to do this because he is a eunuch himself.
, being able to work so hard really reflects the excellent research spirit and professionalism.
This is the Spring Pai, let’s talk about the Immortal Pai next.
The Immortal Sect is also a sect with a long history. The most famous figure in this sect is probably Xu Fu, who was said to have gone to Japan to study in the Qin Dynasty. In the Chenghua Dynasty, the Immortal Sect also became famous. The leader of this sect, Li Zisheng, was originally in Jiangxi.
He worked as a minor civil servant in the yamen, and later changed his career to drift to the north of the capital, where he also did some fraud work.
Later, during the deception, he met Liang Fang, the leader of the Spring Sect, and became a follower of Leader Liang. Leader Liang also admired him very much and supported him to establish another sect, give full play to his expertise, and refine elixirs and practice Taoism for the leader Zhu Jianshen.
, thus establishing the reputation of the Immortal Sect in one fell swoop.
Then there is the famous Supervisor Sect, which was extremely prosperous in the Ming Dynasty. There were Zheng He and Wang Zhen in the past, and Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian in the latter. It can be said that there are many talents. However, in the Chenghua Dynasty, this faction split.
Just like the Huashan Sect has the Qi Sect and the Sword Sect, the Jian Sect has also split into the East Supervisor Sect and the Western Supervisor Sect. The two leaders go their own way and fight fiercely with each other. The leader of the East Supervisor Sect, Shang Ming, has a deep foundation and upholds the tradition.
Continuously strengthen the traditional affiliated company of the faction - Dongchang, and do a down-to-earth job of spying on intelligence and framing Zhongliang.
Wang Zhi, the leader of the Western Supervisory School, was brought to the capital by Han Yong's army and became a eunuch after being stabbed. He worked hard to break the traditional development model, be aggressive (flattering), and strive to win the trust of the alliance leader Zhu Jianshen, and treat others as incompetent.
I have, and people have, my excellent innovative spirit and opened the West Factory in Xi'anmen. His principles for running the factory can be summarized in one sentence - "There is no worst, only worse."
The back sect needs no further introduction. Concubine Wan Guifei during the Chenghua period could be said to be one woman, invincible. She was not only the leader of the back sect, but also the wife and nanny of the martial arts leader Zhu Jianshen. She had unique moves such as pillow wind and pillow sweep.
In the martial arts world, no one can stop you.
Finally, there is the mixed sect. This sect was originally called the Chen sect. It was originally a major sect as famous as the Supervisor sect and the Hou sect. It has produced countless top masters such as Li Si, Huo Guang, Fang Xuanling, Wang Anshi, and San Yang.
In the hands of the current head Wan An, the family was deserted, and head Wan's martial arts skills were sparse. Apart from insisting on practicing kowtow and horse-slapping skills, he had no other skills. He gradually became a vassal of the rear sect and the supervisor sect until more than ten years ago.
Later, this situation changed.
To sum up, the martial arts situation during the Chenghua period was like this. The Hou faction, the Spring faction, and the Xian faction were allied, which can be called the pan-Post camp. The Supervision faction had internal conflicts, and was hostile to the Hou faction alliance externally. In the end,
The cowardly ones are the gangsters. They don’t dare to offend no matter the supervisory faction or the faction behind them. As the name suggests, the faction can only live their lives obediently.
The above is the situation of the five martial arts sects. I believe you can see that these are the so-called evil sects. If you are still waiting for the emergence of the famous sects, I am afraid you will be disappointed, because the situation in the world at this time is completely
It can be summed up in one sentence:
There are no good people these days.
Records of the Five Sects
Now that all the factions are here, it's time for the show to begin.
Liang Fang, the leader of Chun Pai, is an excellent wholesaler of medicines and goods purchaser. He has two main ways to make a fortune. One is to give gifts to Concubine Wan Gui, and the other is to make aphrodisiacs and give them to the emperor. He pleases both sides and everyone likes him.
, so he was very powerful for a period of time.
Although he was a eunuch, he was not a member of the supervisory faction. The leaders of the eunuchs at that time, the eunuch Shang Ming and Huaien, both tried to recruit him, but Liang Fang's answer was: Who do you think you are? Just go and cool off.
Relying on the support of others, he embezzled property wantonly. Comrade Zhu Jianshen originally had a lot of private money in his pocket, but within a few years, this dear friend used it completely, making the leader so angry that he could not eat for several days.
But Head Liang also has an advantage. Since he himself has little education and no knowledge, he is far behind Wang Zhen, Wei Zhongxian and others. In addition to making money, he also helps Concubine Wan Gui to have an abortion in the harem.
He couldn't do any bigger bad things (it's not that he didn't want to, it was just that his level was not high). He never expected that the most influential thing he had ever done was to recruit a person.
This person was Li Zisheng, the later leader of the Immortal Sect.
If you were to ask who among the five sects was most favored by Zhu Jianshen, many people would probably answer the latter sect or the supervisory sect, but in fact, it was the inconspicuous leader of the Immortal sect, Li Zisheng, that Zhu Jianshen valued most.
There is really no need to be surprised at this point. Zhu Jianshen’s inner voice can clearly tell us the reason:
I really want to live another five hundred years!
Whether it's an aphrodisiac, eyes and ears, or a wife, as long as I have this life, I can always look for it again.
Life is the most precious, Zhu Jianshen wisely realized this.
Therefore, Li Zisheng, who claimed to be immortal, naturally became Zhu Jianshen's favorite, and he himself continued to work hard. He was not satisfied with deceiving the alliance leader by cultivating Taoism and becoming an immortal. While refining elixirs, he also added aphrodisiacs, a by-product, to the production line.
He began to steal the business of his old leader, Mr. Liang.
As a result, the all-rounder Li Zisheng became a hot figure. The leader of the mixed faction, Wan An, as well as his eldest disciple Liu Ji and his second disciple Peng Hua, all entered the cabinet and became senior officials because of his connections.
But the leader was not satisfied. He also planned to develop across industries. He actually reached out to spy work and organized his own personnel to find out information for the leader. This time he had stirred up a hornet's nest. Many spies in the East Factory and the West Factory
You are eagerly relying on this industry to make a living. Who do you think you are, Li Zisheng! How dare you break the monopoly and engage in competition!
Shang Ming, the leader of the supervisory faction, Wang Zhi rolled up his trouser legs, picked up the guy, and prepared to attack this unknown guy.
But the outcome of the struggle was unexpected.
Let’s leave the struggle between Li Zisheng and the eunuchs later, let’s talk about the other two sects first.
The rear faction has nothing to say. Concubine Wan Gui is still living her life, patrolling the harem every three days, and then staring in the direction of the Prince's East Palace unhappily, that's all.
Now it’s the mixed group’s turn. I personally think this is the most interesting group.
Before the fifth year of Chenghua (1469), the cabinet was a solemn and sacred place, and the cabinet members at that time were Shang Ren and Peng Shi.
Shang Ren is an old acquaintance. As early as during the Beijing Defense War, he showed his face once and stood up to support Yu Qian's ideas. But he is more famous for his test results - winning three yuan in a row. I think when the results of the Junior Provincial Examination were released,
The list had just been posted, and people were still looking for their names. He took a casual look at it, and then went home to sleep. When a fellow villager asked him why he wasn't looking for his name, he pointed to the list nonchalantly and said:
"Why bother with that? I'm the one at the top!"
Except for Huang Guan, who was retaliated by Zhu Di during the Jingnan period and had his name deleted, he was the only person in the Ming Dynasty to complete this difficult action. Facts have proved that he was also very good as an official, and Peng Shi was also a top scholar and became an official.
Qingzheng, under their leadership, the Ming Empire moved forward in an orderly manner.
At this time, Wan An entered the cabinet.
Wan'an, a native of Meizhou, Sichuan, was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Zhengtong (1448). This man was very good at reading. He ranked fourth in the country in the college entrance examination and ranked first in the second class. Unfortunately, judging from his subsequent performance, he was really
He is a victim of exam-oriented education and a typical representative of high scores and low abilities.
After he entered the cabinet, he ignored government affairs and only focused on one thing - building relationships. He made full use of his surname resources and even became related to Concubine Wan Gui.
What relatives?
According to Comrade Wan An himself, the sister of Concubine Wan Guifei’s brother’s wife’s mother is his concubine. This is an incredible close relative!
So he ran to Concubine Wan Guifei's brother's house, recognized the marriage with tears, and announced gloriously that I, Wan An, had finally found a relative!
Regardless of whether the relative was real or fake, Wan'an did get the opportunity to be promoted. In the fourteenth year of Chenghua (1478), Shang Ren retired and returned home, and Wan'an became the chief minister of the cabinet.
From then on, under his "wise" leadership, the history of the civil service group entered a new era - the era of chaos.
nickname party
The Hun sect is different from other sects. Thanks to the high regard of everyone in the world, many of the elites of the Hun sect have been given nicknames. The names are very loud, so we must talk about them carefully.
Wan'an, the leader of the mixed faction, was nicknamed "Long Live Pavilion Lao" by Jianghu people.
In the seventh year of Chenghua (1471), Wan'an was discussing with two other members of the cabinet. Peng Shi went to see Zhu Jianshen to discuss national affairs. Peng Shi had just started to talk about a few things, and when he was talking about it, he suddenly heard a loud voice next to him.
Call out:
"Long live!"
Looking back, Master Wan was already kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.
Peng Shi was dumbfounded at Shang Ren. After staying for a while, he sighed helplessly, knelt down, kowtowed and shouted:
"Long live!"
The reason why this strange scene happened was entirely because of Wan'an's shout of "long live", which related to a serious etiquette issue.
In the Qing Dynasty, when officials were discussing matters, if they picked up a tea cup, it meant that they did not want to talk anymore and asked you to leave. This was called serving tea to see off the guests.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was also a set of etiquette for meeting the emperor. After the audience was finished, he shouted "long live the emperor", which meant goodbye to the emperor and we will come again next time.
I don’t know whether Head Wan was in a hurry to go to the latrine, and without waiting for a few words, he hurriedly said goodbye, which made the cabinet extremely embarrassed and became the laughing stock of the civil and military officials in the court. Therefore, he got the glorious title "Long Live Pavilion Elder"
”.
Liu Ji, the top disciple of the Mixed Sect, was nicknamed "Liu Mianmian" by Jianghu people.
Liu Ji, a native of Hebei, was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Zhenghua (1448). He was a classmate of Master Wan at the same time. He became a member of the cabinet in the 11th year of Chenghua (1475). His character was similar to that of Wan'an, but he was better than Wan'an in one aspect.
An - thicker skin.
Impeachment was common in the Ming Dynasty, and officials also liked to meddle in other people's business. People like Liu Ji naturally became the main target of attack by the officials. But this man had a good psychological endurance. He pretended not to hear what the officials said, so he was sent by friends from all walks of life.
His nickname is "Liu Mianmian".
What do you mean?
Cotton people are not afraid of bombs!
The gangster follower Ni Jinxian was nicknamed "The Censor of Washing Birds" by the Jianghu people.
Ni Jinxian, a native of Anhui, is semi-literate. He is a disciple of Master Wan and is a closed disciple. He has no wealth, but he has a secret recipe handed down from his ancestors. It is said that when mixed into powder and dissolved in water, it can cure ED (scientific name). Master Wan probably personally
I tried it, so I was overjoyed and made this brother a royal censor.
If it were today, he wouldn't have to be a censor. If he joined the pharmaceutical industry, he would definitely be able to prosper a similar industry, surpass Pfizer, and bring glory to the country.
Considering his great contribution to Master Wan, friends in the world gave him the nickname "Censor of Washing Birds" with great respect.
Cabinet Master's Degree
Liu Yi, the only one left, basically spends his days hanging out. As for the six ministers below, they are indeed outstanding disciples of the mixed sect. They adhere to the sect's regulations, sit in the yamen every day, drink tea and chat, do nothing, and strictly follow the rules of the sect.
Follow the house rules.
Due to the outstanding performance of the Chenghua Cabinet and officials from various ministries, the people specially awarded them collective honorary titles:
Three members of the cabinet collectively won the honorable title of "Three Pavilion Elders".
The six ministers collectively won the honorable title of "Six Ministers of Clay Sculpture".
This is the recognition given to them by the masses.
Admire, admire, what the hell are they!
Next, we will talk about the last sect, the Supervisory Sect. The reason why we save it for last is because the biggest shady events and the most vicious characters in the Chenghua period originated from this sect, but they also perished from this sect.
Wang Zhi’s history of struggle
Among the large group of prisoners brought back by Han Yong, Wang Zhi was not a conspicuous person and had no special talents. After that, he became an eunuch honestly. However, he was very lucky. When the eunuchs were trained and assigned, he was fortunate enough to be selected.
One of the concubines who was assigned to serve the emperor in the harem - Concubine Wan Gui.
Facts have proved that although Wang Zhi has no talent or skills, his service attitude is very upright and his service level is also very high. Concubine Wan Guifei is very happy. After many visits, Concubine Wan Guifei recommended Wang to Zhu Jianshen to continue his education, and Wang
Naoya lived up to expectations and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Guards.
We once introduced that the Royal Horse Supervisor is an important department after the Li Supervisor. Being able to climb to this position can be said to be a successful eunuch. However, Wang Zhi was not satisfied, and he reached out to the palace again.
The most mysterious eunuch management organization in the country - Dongchang.
Wang Zhi spontaneously organized people to go out to inquire about information, report every move in the capital and other places, and demonstrate his intelligence gathering ability, hoping that Zhu Jianshen could hand over control of the East Factory to him. Suddenly, Wang Zhi was everywhere inside and outside the capital.
Plainclothes spies were working day and night to gather information and arrest and imprison people with great momentum.
With these "political achievements", Wang Zhi proudly reported to Zhu Jianshen, preparing to take over Dongchang, the largest spy organization in the Ming Dynasty, and do some underground work.
The leader of the alliance listened to his report, spoke highly of it, and expressed the hope that he would continue to work hard. However, the leader seemed to be addicted to talking about it. He talked at length and spoke clearly and clearly, but did not talk about the key issues. Wang Zhi knelt down until his legs were numb.
, finally couldn’t help but interject:
"Your Majesty, how should things be handled in Dongchang?"
The alliance leader was interrupted, but he was not angry. He just smiled and waved his hand and said:
"That person did a pretty good job, that's all."
Wang Zhi's Dongchang dream was shattered.
The "that person" mentioned by the alliance leader is Shang Ming, the current eunuch of the East Factory. This is not a simple person.
Shang Ming entered the palace very early, was very neat in doing things, and had an extremely cautious personality (pay attention to this characteristic). Dongchang made a great success under him. In order to expand his financial resources, he also started a side business - kidnapping and extortion.
Master Shang has one recognized shining point - he takes his work seriously and responsibly, and the same goes for his side business. As soon as he took office, he created a roster, which recorded the addresses, families and addresses of the rich households in the capital.
environment, and made a ranking list in terms of wealth.
At the same time, he also has a solid philosophical foundation and always believes that the world is a connected whole and everything is connected. Whenever there is a case in Dongchang, he will connect these wealthy households with the case and come to arrest them one by one.
Put a person in prison and let his family pay a ransom before he is released.
This is really a very wicked thing, but surprisingly, although he has always done this, his reputation is not bad, and many people still praise him when talking about him, which is really a very strange thing.
This is because Master Shang has another great advantage - he pays attention to integrity. Although he kidnaps people, he never mistreats the hostages, and if he has enough money to release them, he never breaks the rules. The families of the hostages who have dealt with him can't help but sigh.
: He does things after receiving money. He is an honest person.
In addition, although he robs the rich and does not help the poor, he does not harm the poor. He always only attacks the rich and does not mess with ordinary people. He has a good reputation among the middle and lower classes. He has high qualifications, but he never bullies the younger generations and is very popular.
Well, he often gives gifts to the leader of the alliance and the heads of the harem, and his relationship with the masses is also good.
Wang Zhi naturally cannot control such a person.
However, Wang Zhi was really a very persistent person. He was determined to break Shang Ming's monopoly and create a new situation in spy work. Unable to resist his repeated requests, Zhu Jianshen finally gave Wang Zhi special permission to start a new type of secret service in the 13th year of Chenghua (1477).
Enterprise——Xichang.
Wang Zhi, who took office as a new official, devoted all his efforts to this. He immediately promulgated factory regulations and guidelines, which can be roughly summarized as follows:
If Dongchang cannot harm us, we will harm it; if Dongchang cannot be fixed, we will fix it; if Dongchang cannot do it, we will do it!
Since then, Xichang spies have become synonymous with death. Their methods are more vicious than those of Dongchang. For ordinary people, entering Xichang is almost equivalent to entering the gate of hell, and there is no hope of coming out alive. The people in the capital are panicked and talk about it.
The West Factory worked hard day and night, but soon after, Wang Zhi discovered to his dismay that his West Factory could never catch up with the East Factory in terms of performance or reputation. This was natural. After all, the East Factory had a long history and a secret agent culture.
Within the time limit, Xichang was really far behind.
Wang Zhi is a person who refuses to admit defeat. He is unwilling to succumb to Shang Ming and is unwilling to wait. In order to change this situation, he mobilized his subordinates to make reasonable suggestions and accepted their opinions humbly.
Soon, a subordinate gave him an idea. If he wanted to overpower Dongchang quickly, he had to deal with several heavyweights. Only in this way could he gain prestige and build the brand of Xichang in a short time.
It turned out later that this was a bad idea.
However, Wang Zhi thought this suggestion was very good and was immediately ready to put it into practice.
The policy has been set, so who will act on it?
Wang Zhi thought hard and finally found a person who no one dared to mess with at the time. He decided to set a precedent to establish his prestige.
The man who was about to be unlucky was named Tan Lipeng, who was also a eunuch. Although he was not in the capital, he was the third most powerful person besides Wang Zhi after the eunuch Huai En and the eunuch Shang Ming of Dongchang. He was the governor of Nanjing at the time.
eunuch.
Although the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved to Beijing, Nanjing was still the capital of the Ming Dynasty. The eunuch guarding Nanjing has always been a very important position. Moreover, Tan Lipeng had a profound background and had personal relationships with many relatives of the emperor. Although he often broke the law, no one dared to find him.
trouble.
But this time Wang Zhi decided to trouble him. Although they are both eunuchs, for the sake of Xichang's brand, I have to sacrifice you, brother.
He made up his mind and immediately took action, collecting a lot of evidence of Tan Lipeng's crime (which was quite easy), and after talking about it, he actually came to the conclusion that the crime warranted beheading.
Tan Lipeng never expected that Wang Zhi would dare to operate on him, but this man was really not someone to be bullied. He sent people to Beijing overnight and did a lot of work. In the end, the big problem was reduced to a trivial matter. He was criticized a few words and let it go.
Wang Zhi did not defeat Tan Lipeng, but he was praised by Zhu Jianshen and was awarded the title of "dare to do things and fair and selfless". Wang Zhi, who was praised by the leader, suddenly became energetic and did several inexplicable things one after another.
First, there were several officials from the Ministry of Punishment who had just returned from a business trip. As soon as they entered the capital, they were arrested by people from the West Factory. They were put in jail and beaten severely. They were released from prison without telling them what laws they had committed.
These people were so confused that they thought they were dreaming.
Later, a chief envoy from out of town came to Beijing for business. Before he could find a place to stay, he was taken to the West Factory and beaten, and spent several days in prison.
Of course, this was all ordered by Wang Zhi. His behavior seemed difficult to understand, but in fact he just wanted to prove one point:
He can deal with anyone at any time and for any reason.
At this time, Wang Zhi had the favor of the emperor inside and Xichang's minions outside. In the eyes of many people, he was already an out-and-out successful eunuch.
But Wang Zhi doesn’t think so:
Success? I have just started.
He was not satisfied with his current performance, and humbly believed that continuous improvement was needed. In order to better confirm his authority, he decided to look for a second key target. Soon after, he found it.
The person targeted this time is called Yang Ye. Although he is only a minor official and not well-known, he is not an ordinary person. His great-grandfather is Yang Rong, one of the famous "Three Yangs". Because he caused trouble at home
, he and his father Yang Tai came to the capital to stay temporarily.
For Wang Zhi, this is an excellent opportunity. This time, he is ready to do something big.
Of course, he would not have thought that this matter would eventually resolve itself.
Wang Zhi sent people to arrest Yang Ye and his father Yang Tai and put them in prison.
In prison, Wang Zhi acted like a gangster. He gave Yang Ye an order and performed the Dongchang Band's specialty program "Playing the Pipa" to Yang Ye.
The so-called "playing the pipa" is not playing music, but a unique performance art. Specifically, it is to use a sharp blade to shave a person's ribs. It is said that the execution is so painful that it can make you regret giving birth. This
When the People's Republic of China was founded, Lao Zhu didn't even think of it. It was Dongchang's independent invention.
Poor Mr. Yang Ye, he was shot three times and was exhausted, so he died in prison.
Wang Zhi, however, was not willing to let it go and wanted to make sure the matter was done. He then planted a crime and sentenced Yang Ye's father, Yang Tai, to death and beheaded.
At this time, Xichang's arrogance had reached its peak. For example, Yang Ye's uncle Yang Shiwei, who was the director of the Ministry of War (division level) at the time, went to his home to arrest Xichang without completing any legal procedures or even having an arrest warrant.
People, in the middle of the night, were in a state of panic. Chen Yin, a lecturer in the Imperial Academy who lived nearby, heard the commotion and was very angry. He showed off his official style and shouted through the wall:
"Aren't you afraid of the king's law when you act so recklessly?!"
But the agent from the West Factory opposite had a sense of humor and answered across the wall:
"Who are you? Aren't you afraid of Xichang?"
When things got serious, Wang Zhi didn't care. After all, Yang Ye himself was not a great person, but the development of things later completely shattered his illusions.
He did not expect that although Yang Rong had been dead for many years, he had a high prestige and was a role model for the civil service group. If something happened to his descendants, how could the ministers be willing to give up!
The first person to react was Shang Ren, the chief assistant of the cabinet. He sent people to find out Yang Ye's grievances, convened a cabinet meeting, denounced Wang Zhi's crimes, and wrote a memorial to Zhu Jianshen, demanding the abolition of the West Factory and his removal from office.
Wang Zhi, there is a very powerful saying in it:
"If we don't expel Wang Zhi, sooner or later the world will be in chaos!"
Zhu Jianshen became angry. Although he had a gentle temper, he was furious when he saw these words and shouted:
"With just one eunuch, the world will be in chaos!"
He was very excited and immediately called the people around him to convey his oral instructions:
"Let Shang Ren understand who instigated him! Who is the mastermind!"
Zhu Jianshen rarely gets angry, but when he gets angry, he never gives up. According to common sense, Shang Ren will suffer a lot.
But he was really lucky this time, because the person who was ordered to deliver the order was the eunuch Hua En.
Huai'en, a native of Shandong, whose surname was Dai. During the Xuande period, because his father was involved in a crime and his family was confiscated, he was forced to enter the palace and became a eunuch. He changed his name to Huai'en. After three dynasties, he finally became a powerful eunuch in charge of rituals.
This is a very key figure. It was he who saved the situation many times and turned the tide at the last moment, sending Zhu Youtang to the throne.
Wynn set out according to the order. He had just experienced Zhu Jianshen's anger, but he did not expect that waiting for him in the cabinet was another even more angry person.
When Huaien came to the cabinet, Liu Ji, Wan An and others were there, so he conveyed Zhu Jianshen's oral instructions without saying a word:
"Who wrote the memorial and who instigated it!"
These were two very stern questions, indicating that the emperor was angry and the consequences would be serious. However, Shang Ren was beyond everyone's expectation. Not only was he not afraid at all, but he stood up and said loudly:
"The memorial was written by me and I was the instigator, so what! Just reply to the emperor like this!"
"Wang Zhi is just a eunuch. He dares to imprison and execute court officials privately, and mobilize border generals and inner palace personnel without authorization. If he continues to act like this, the world will be in chaos! Without Wang Zhi, where will the king's law be?"
With Shang Ren's excitement, all the members of the cabinet also became excited. Every word you said to me was likely to cause trouble.
At the critical moment, Wynn remained calm. He comforted Shang Ren and others, and immediately responded to Zhu Jianshen urgently, relaying Shang Ren's reply and hoping that Zhu Jianshen would seriously consider it.
After listening to Wynn's report, Zhu Jianshen felt a sense of fear. He realized that Shang Ren was right, Wang Zhi had become a threat, and action must be taken.
Soon after, Zhu Jianshen issued an edict to dismiss Xichang and expelled Wang Zhi back to the Imperial Horse Prison.
For the cabinet, this was a great victory. Shang Ren and others celebrated with joy.
But at the same time, the eunuch Wang Zhi was not depressed, because he knew very well that the weak Zhu Jianshen would not last long. He still needed himself, and he would be able to return to his original position soon.
Wang Zhi's negligence
Wang Zhi is right.
For Zhu Jianshen, it is not that important whether he is right or wrong, loyal or treacherous. His childhood experiences left a deep imprint on Zhu Jianshen - just live a comfortable life.
So what he needs is not military generals with inscriptions on their backs, nor civil servants who curse at the court. He only likes one kind of people - obedient people.
Wang Zhi is an obedient person. Not only does he serve Zhu Jianshen honestly, he is also able to provide various entertainment services. Naturally, his superiors will not let him idle for too long.
Soon after, the West Factory reopened, and Wang Zhi became the new factory director.
Wang Zhi once again reached the peak of his eunuch career.
However, not long after, he made a mistake, a mistake that his predecessors had made.
Like Wang Zhen, Wang Zhi also has a dream of making a swift move.
Since he is a eunuch, he should do this promising job down-to-earth, but Mr. Wang Zhi wants to be in the limelight. But the problem is that the border was relatively calm at that time. In order to achieve his goal, Wang Zhi implemented a new border defense policy:
If you don't offend me, I will offend others.
Facts have proved that Wang Zhi is indeed an out-and-out coward. His so-called attacks are just to kill other people's tribute envoys, or to harass the old, young, women and children when the people are not at home. When people come to take revenge, he will do it again.
He became a pacifist and fled quickly, but after his repeated mischief, the Tatar and Liaodong tribes were really angered and kept looking for trouble at the border of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Jianshen was puzzled. War reports suddenly came from all over the originally peaceful border. He did not believe Wang Zhi's lies. Instead, he sent people out to inquire. Only then did he realize that Wang Zhi was responsible for everything.
The fire is getting louder.
Comrade Zhu Jianshen did not have high demands. He just wanted his wife and children to be on the bed, live a comfortable life for two days, and study the chemical production of golden elixirs and aphrodisiacs. However, Wang Zhi refused to let him stop, and he began to be dissatisfied with Wang Zhi.
This emotion was quickly noticed by two people, and they decided to use this opportunity to completely defeat Wang Zhi. One of these two people was Li Zisheng, and the other was Shang Ming.
The two of them decided to abandon their previous prejudices and cooperate sincerely. Shang Ming looked for evidence of Wang Zhi's crime, while Li Zisheng colluded with Wan'an to file a complaint. Both sides performed their respective duties and prepared for the final attack.
In the seventeenth year of Chenghua (1481), the opportunity came.
This year, the Tatar tribes began to attack the border. Zhu Jianshen was very dissatisfied when he received the news. He immediately went to see Wang Zhijin and told him bluntly:
"You cause trouble yourself, solve it yourself!"
Wang Zhi was so angry that he didn't dare to breathe and went to Xuan Mansion that night. But when he got there, the people had already grabbed everything and left. Wang Zhi hurriedly reported to the emperor that everything was over here and he was ready to go back.
Comrade Zhu Jianshen replied:
You are needed there very much, please stay a few more days.
Shang Ming and Li Zisheng keenly felt that Wang Zhi was about to die, and they immediately launched the final offensive according to the plan. Suddenly, impeachments were flying everywhere, and the originally excellent eunuchs and advanced models suddenly turned into despicable villains and backward models. Zhu Jianshen
Immediately ordered the closure of the West Factory and demoted Wang Zhi to the post of Imperial Horse Supervisor of Nanjing.
Wang Zhi, who was still very prosperous when he came out, went to Nanjing in despair, dining and sleeping in the open air along the way. The local officials who used to greet him with smiles had long disappeared. Wang Zhi had no other ambitions. He just hoped to be able to be a eunuch in Nanjing with peace of mind.
.
However, our country has always had the habit of beating up drowned dogs. Shang Ming still felt that he was not cruel enough, so he filed another complaint. Now Wang Zhi could not become the Nanjing Royal Horse Supervisor, and could only be a small Feng Yu. He also
He picked up the cleaning tools he had used when he first entered the palace, and started doing chores under the pressure of his superior eunuchs.
In the early years of Chenghua, he came to Beijing and became the imperial concubine. In the 19th year of Chenghua, he was dismissed from the imperial position. In more than ten years, he went from obscurity to world-wide power and then back to his original form. Everything was like a dream.
The history of the Ming Dynasty does not record the year of death of this influential figure Wang Zhi, which fully shows that this person is no longer worth mentioning.
With Wang Zhi's departure, Shang Ming was naturally the happiest. The Eastern and Western Supervisory Factions could finally be unified. But he did not expect that it would be his turn to be the next unlucky person.
Li Zisheng, the head of the Immortal Sect, was not a friend enough. When he impeached Wang Zhi, he prepared another spare copy for Shang Ming. Before he could cross the river, he was already ready to tear down the bridge.
Soon the officials targeted Shang Ming and wrote letters to impeach him for his crimes. As a result, Shang Ming, the head of the alliance, was finally deprived of his martial arts skills by the leader of the alliance and went to sweep the floors of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.
The Immortal sect and the Hou sect overthrew the once-prominent Supervisory sect and became the masters of the martial arts world. Of course, these two sects were not good people. The world was still the same world, but in the darkness, the seeds of light began to sprout.
It's funny to say that it was Li Zisheng who personally sowed the seeds, because it was thanks to him that Shang Ming and Wang Zhi were driven away, allowing another person to ascend to the position of leader, this person is Si Li
Supervise Wynn.
Wynn keenly seized the opportunity and arranged for his crony Chen Zhun to ascend to the position of Dongchang factory owner, fully grasping the power of the supervisory faction, carefully protecting the bright fire, and waiting for the opportunity to come.
persevere to the end
I have always believed that good people and bad people cannot be summarized by their occupation and how much they have read. There are many bad people among ministers who are well-educated in poetry and books, and there are also many good people among eunuchs who are mostly illiterate. Needless to say, Zheng He, during the Chenghua period
Wynn is also an outstanding representative among them.
He was originally born into an eunuch's family, and had no worries about food and clothing, but something unexpected happened: his father was dismissed from office, his home was confiscated, and he was sent to the palace and forcibly arranged to become a eunuch. The most unethical thing is that the emperor actually made him cry with gratitude and give him the gift of eunuch.
He was named "Wynn".
It is not unusual for Wynn, who grew up in such circumstances, to do all the bad things. But the strange thing is that this man is an out-and-out good person.
During the Chenghua years when ghosts were howling and demons were raging, he and Shang Ren worked hard to support the overall situation. But Huai En was much smarter than Shang Ren. He had long seen that the real initiator of this dark situation was not Liang Fang or Li
Zi Sheng is not even Wan Guifei, but the soft Zhu Jianshen.
Because these five chaotic sects all serve the emperor. The Spring sect provides him with chemicals, the Immortal sect prays to gods and Buddhas for him, the Supervisory sect inquires about information for him, the Later sect takes care of his life, and the Hun sect flatters him. .As long as Zhu Jianshen is alive, this scandal will continue.
So when Shang Ren was disheartened and retired home, Wynn still persisted, because at this time he had found the only way to crack this shady story - Zhu Youtang.
He had kept that secret with the people in the harem, and often visited the poor child. When Zhang Min told the truth, he took the initiative to stand up and testify. He witnessed Zhu Youtang's growth, and I firmly believe that this young man who has gone through many hardships will definitely become the wise king and hero in his mind.
He was not disappointed in the end.
But at this time, God seemed to think that Zhu Youtang's suffering was not enough, so it arranged the last and most fatal test for the child.
It started with a conversation:
March of the 21st year of Chenghua (1485).
Zhu Jianshen once again went to the inner treasury of the harem to check his private money. Because he was busy with important work such as alchemy, he had not been there for a long time, but when he opened the treasury door, the sight in front of him surprised him.
He immediately ordered:
"Call Liang Fang!"
When Liang Fang came, Zhu Jianshen didn't say anything and just asked him to look into the door of the library.
It was empty inside.
More than ten years ago, this place was filled with gold and silver treasures, and a simple little girl worked silently here. Now the building is empty.
Zhu Jianshen pointed to the warehouse and said coldly: You spent all these.
Normally, when the leader of the alliance is angry, Leader Liang should bow his head and confess his guilt, but this dear friend actually replied:
"I used the money to build palaces and ancestral halls and pray for the emperor."
You spend money but don’t acknowledge it, and you take the emperor for granted!
Now the leader of the alliance was very angry, his face was red with anger, but after holding it in for a long time, he said something incredible:
"I don't care about you, someone will settle accounts with you in the future!"
This sentence is probably similar to the common expression used by primary school students today when fighting: Just wait, I will go home and ask someone to beat you!
For the leader of the alliance to do this, he is really cowardly in the extreme.
Zhu Jianshen left angrily, but in Liang Fang's ears, the meaning of this sentence changed:
"I can't control you, my son will deal with you in the future!"
Well, in this case, let's deal with your son first.
Liang Fang understood that in order to achieve this goal, he must get help from someone, so he ran to the harem and found Concubine Wan Gui.
Concubine Wan Gui has been silent for a long time since the failure ten years ago, but her hatred for Zhu Youtang has not dissipated at all. Liang Fang's suggestion once again ignited her flame of revenge. More importantly, she After killing Zhu Youtang's mother, once Zhu Youtang ascends the throne, she will not end well.
We can't wait any longer, take this opportunity to defeat him completely, otherwise we will definitely die without a burial place in the future!
This year, she was fifty-five, he was thirty-eight, and Zhu Youtang was fifteen.
Although he was over fifty years old, Concubine Wan Guifei's pillow style was still strong. After her repeated encouragement, Zhu Jianshen finally made up his mind.
On the eve of making the decision, Zhu Jianshen made a key decision. He found Wynn and wanted to discuss implementation issues with him.
"I want to dethrone the prince, you think what to do."
Wynn, who was kneeling on the ground, heard these words, but did not speak. He just took off his hat and kowtowed to Zhu Jianshen.
Zhu Jianshen waited for a long time, but there was no reply.
"Why don't you speak?"
"Please, Your Majesty, kill me." A deep voice replied.
"Why?" Zhu Jianshen was surprised.
"Because I will not obey your Majesty's order."
"Are you desperate for your life?" Zhu Jianshen was angry.
Wynn raised his head and said loudly:
"If I don't do it today, Your Majesty will kill me, but if I do it, everyone in the world will kill me in the future!"
"That's why even if I die thousands of times, I won't do it."
Zhu Jianshen was shocked. This usually respectful old eunuch had actually done something like this. He stared at Wynn with more fierce eyes, but found that it had no effect. Wynn's calm eyes showed no trace of panic.
Zhu Jianshen suddenly realized that although he was the emperor and controlled the lives and deaths of millions of people, he could not defeat the man in front of him.
If a person is not afraid of death, there is nothing to fear.
In desperation, he had no choice but to say to Wynn:
"You are no longer needed here. Go back to Zhongdu to keep vigil!"
The so-called Zhongdu refers to Fengyang, Lao Zhu's hometown, which was already relatively desolate at that time. Huai'en remained calm and did not beg for mercy. He just kowtowed and thanked him and then drifted away, leaving only Zhu Jianshen who was helpless.
However, Huaien's persistence failed to impress Zhu Jianshen. With Concubine Wan Guifei's constant encouragement, he still decided to depose the prince.
When things got to this point, there was really nothing we could do. The only thing Mr. Zhu Youtang could do was to shout to the sky:
"Heaven is going to kill me!"
Maybe he actually shouted, because not long after, God couldn't stand it anymore and came in to interfere.
In the 21st year of Chenghua (1485), there was an earthquake in Mount Tai in April.
Although there was no seismological bureau to popularize scientific knowledge in ancient times, earthquakes were commonplace and nothing unusual, but this earthquake was really unusual.
You must know that the earthquake occurred on Mount Taishan. It was the place where ancient emperors enshrined themselves in Zen. Emperor Qin and Han martial arts were qualified to go up there. Comrade Emperor Guangwu had the courage to go up there once, and was scolded a few times. Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the world with nothing, and was not afraid of heaven or earth.
Even many people dare not do this work. In current terms, this mountain has important political significance.
Zhu Jianshen was a little panicked. He immediately sent someone to do a fortune telling to see what went wrong. As a result, the fortune teller worked for a long time and came to a conclusion:
"It should be in the East Palace."
This means that the reason why Mount Tai was shaken was because the East Palace was unstable and God was angry.
When Zhu Jianshen heard this, he immediately stopped his actions. He also planned to live forever. His wife can be offended, but God cannot be offended.
In this way, with the help of God, Zhu Youtang overcame the last difficulty.
But the darkness of the government at this time was so dark that it was impossible to see the five fingers. Although Zhu Jianshen did not depose the prince, he did not manage the government very much. Liang Fang engaged in corruption and bribery without restraint, Li Zisheng unscrupulously planted cronies and confused the imperial court, and Wan'an engaged in unscrupulous corruption and bribery.
dawdle.
The five major sects lost all control and began to go crazy at will, but this was just the last darkness before dawn, because light was about to come.
In the spring of the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487), Zhu Jianshen finally suffered the biggest blow in his life. Concubine Wan Gui died in the harem.
The woman who had been with him for thirty-eight years finally left. No matter how hard it was, she was always by his side, watching him grow from a two-year-old child to a forty-year-old middle-aged man without interruption.
, and never betrayed.
"I will always be by your side to accompany you."
For thirty-eight years, she fulfilled her promise.
She is not a heinous bad person, but the flames of jealousy completely destroyed her reason. For her, Zhu Jianshen has become an indispensable part of her life, and she cannot tolerate anyone taking him away.
Being despicable, cruel, and vicious is not her nature, but it is the price she must pay - for her love.
Zhu Jianshen completely collapsed. Decades later, the aphrodisiacs and elixirs had already destroyed his body, but the death of Concubine Wan Guifei destroyed his spirit even more fatally. He ascended the throne and became the emperor who ruled the empire, but
His heart still belongs to the lonely and helpless child he was more than thirty years ago and needs her care.
The time for the curtain call has finally arrived. Although you took the first step, you will not be lonely for too long. I will be here to accompany you soon. You have been fighting for me in the harem for decades, but in fact you don’t understand that even if you don’t have children
, and no one can replace your position in my heart. The throne and power are not important to me, and I am not interested. All I want is your company, nothing more.
End it and let everything go back to the starting point. At that time, in that place, there was only you and me.
In August of the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487), Zhu Jianshen fell ill and died ten days later at the age of forty-one.
Zhu Jianshen was a peculiar emperor. The empire under his rule was rampant in evil and extremely dark, but he was neither cruel nor stupid. On the contrary, he had a gentle personality and could understand the truth and distinguish between loyal and traitorous people. Such strange behavior appeared.
, just because he has a fatal flaw: weakness.
He does not punish the villains who embezzle his money, nor scold the ministers who reprimand him, because he is afraid of power, afraid of punishment, afraid of everything. In the final analysis, he is just a person who wants to live quietly.
He should be an honest farmer or a dedicated small businessman, so he was forced to choose the career of emperor. For him, it was an out-and-out tragedy.
Zhu Jianshen was not a good emperor, nor a good person, he was a coward, that's all.