Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 4 Whitewashing the Peace _ Chapter 1 The Emperor is Vulnerable
Here comes the emperor
In April of the 16th year of Zhengde (1521), Zhu Houcong came to the capital.
Before that, he lived in Anlu, Huguang (Zhongxiang, Hubei). The reason why this royal family member lived in that small place was not because of modesty and prudence. This was actually something that could not be helped, because his father, King Xingxian
He was sealed there. As a son of the feudal lord, he had no quota to stay in the capital.
The situation is different now. He has learned that his cousin Zhu Houzhao has died and he will have the honor to become the new ruler of the world.
Fifteen-year-old Zhu Houcong looked up at the majestic walls of the capital in the distance. Thinking that he was about to become the master of this place, excited blood rushed into his brain.
But before he could burst into tears with excitement, a group of officials came to greet him. To his surprise, these people were not just here to greet him.
"Please invite Your Highness (who has not yet ascended the throne) to enter the palace from Dong'an Gate and stay temporarily at Wenhua Hall."
Ordinary people don't seem to be too sensitive to this request. As long as they can get to the great capital, do they care which way? As for residence, since the emperor's house is yours anyway, you can live anywhere.
But Zhu Houcong was unwilling. Not only was he unwilling, he even showed extreme anger.
Because a royal child like him knew exactly what this behavior meant - the crown prince's accession to the throne.
According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, this route was specially designed for the crown prince, and the emperor would not take this route.
"I want to go through Daming Gate and enter Fengtian Hall!"
This is the authentic route for the emperor to enter Beijing.
However, the officials did not agree, and they did not say much. They just blocked the place and refused to leave. In their opinion, this fifteen-year-old boy would obey them obediently and listen to their words.
It's a pity that Zhu Houcong is not an easy person to fool.
This fifteen-year-old boy had a talent. Yang Tinghe took a fancy to his talent and decided to support him to become a new generation of emperor, making him stand out.
His talent is called youthful maturity. Although he is only fifteen years old, he is very scheming and very sophisticated. His teenage years are the time when children grow up, but this man obviously only has his own mind.
He took out Zhu Houzhao's posthumous edict and told them that he inherited the throne of emperor according to legal documents and was not here to be a son.
After completing the legal education, Zhu Houcong launched a butcher's knife education: If you dare to block the way again, I will be the first to deal with you after he ascends the throne.
However, the stubbornness of the ministers exceeded his imagination. They acted like dead pigs that are not afraid of boiling water. See what that means. If you want to enter the Daming Gate, you, Zhu Houcong, have to step over my corpse.
"Okay, I won't go to Damingmen anymore." Zhu Houcong sighed. It seemed that he was ready to give in.
But before the ministers had time to celebrate their victory, they heard a sentence that shocked them:
"I won't go to Dong'anmen, I want to go back to Anlu."
The following was a period of collective silence. Under Zhu Houcong's provocative eyes, the ministers were subdued. They looked at the slightly immature young man in front of them and fell into unprecedented panic.
It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, since I won't be allowed to enter the Daming Gate, I won't even be the emperor, you can figure it out on your own.
As the old saying goes, it is better to have broken jade than complete tiles, but the man in front of me is neither jade nor tiles, but a brick. The officials blocking the road discussed for a moment, changed their attitude to a respectful attitude, and honestly put the
Zhu Houcong welcomed him in.
You must show your fangs to effectively control everyone, even the emperor. This is the first lesson the young Zhu Houcong learned.
The news that the emperor entered the palace from Daming Gate quickly reached Yang Tinghe, but he didn't pay attention. In his opinion, it was just a child playing with his temper and it was no big deal.
Even so, he did not let down his guard. He had to teach this kid a lesson so that he could fully understand who was in charge of this place.
Soon, he formulated a plan.
Zhu Houcong entered the palace, but he did not feel uncomfortable at all. He looked at the splendid palace and sat down on his cousin's seat.
This place should belong to me, I am the owner here.
From this day on, Emperor Jiajing, the smartest and most thoughtful emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty, began his more than forty-year rule. Countless tests and tortures awaited him ahead.
On the sixth day after he ascended the throne, the first attack began.
On this day, Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, suddenly wrote a memorial, quoting scriptures and writing at length, listing the deeds of many people, and read it for a long time. Generally speaking, this kind of thing would make the emperor doze off, but this time an exception occurred.
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Zhu Houcong listened carefully from the first word, and the more he listened, the uglier his face became. Finally, he stood up, with veins popping out of his neck, and stared at Mao Cheng angrily, wanting to tear him apart.
Why? You really can’t blame Mr. Zhu Houcong for his lack of grace. If it were you, after hearing what Mao Cheng said, you would probably have picked up the bricks to slap Mr. Mao.
It all happened because of Mao Cheng's memorial.
His document is very complex, but its meaning is simple:
Your Majesty the Emperor, we believe that you can no longer call your father (King Xingxian) father. According to ancient regulations, you should call him uncle (Huang Shukao), and your mother can no longer be called mother.
Call me aunt (imperial aunt). From now on, your father will be Emperor Xiaozong, so just call him dad.
Finally, by the way, in order to ensure that you can change your title smoothly and relieve you from worries, several of us have agreed that if any of the ministers objects to this proposal, he can be classified as a treacherous person and should be decapitated (beheaded).
).
Although Zhu Houcong was young, he studied very early. He understood the meaning of this article very well, but he was also very puzzled:
What's going on? When you become an emperor, you don't even consider your father? You can't recognize your own father. Who is my father and you have to appoint me a father? Can such a thing be forcibly divided?
He roared:
"Can parents change things like this?"
The emperor was angry, but the consequences were not serious. Because Mr. Yang Tinghe's answer was yes.
Zhu Houcong was not a fool. When he saw the ministers of the DPRK and China supporting Yang Tinghe with one voice, he already understood the terrifying nature of this man behind the scenes.
So the fifteen-year-old boy lost his dignity as an emperor and called the eunuch beside him to invite Yang Tinghe into the palace.
Zhu Houcong asked Yang Tinghe to enter the palace, but he did not issue an order in the main hall. Instead, he arranged for him to enter the side hall and respectfully invited him to drink tea. To put it bluntly, he came to negotiate with Yang Tinghe.
So the young emperor put down his airs of being an emperor and praised Yang Tinghe in a flattering tone to his superiors, praising his great achievements. Finally, he embarrassedly expressed that his parents really needed a status and hoped that Mr. Yang could fulfill it.
But this sixty-three-year-old man who had lived through four dynasties did not give him any face. He listened carefully to the emperor's opinion and said that he would seriously consider it, but then he was like a meat bun beating a dog - he never came back.
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In desperation, Zhu Houcong had no choice but to play the official document game with Yang Tinghe. He issued a document expressing his intention and asked the cabinet to implement it.
However, this so-called imperial edict was actually returned by Mr. Yang Tinghe, because according to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, if the chief minister of the cabinet believed that the emperor's opinion was wrong, he could return the imperial edict. The historical name of this kind of power is "refute".
Ordinary people can petition if they have grievances and have nowhere to complain. However, Mr. Zhu Houcong did not even have this last resort because he could only hand over his petition letter to himself.
Is it true that he can't even have his father? The helpless Zhu Houcong finally realized that although he was the emperor, he was truly alone. In this palace, the emperor's
Titles are not worth much by the pound. If you want to be recognized and respected by everyone, you can only rely on your strength.
However, he has no strength. Not only does he have no support, he doesn't even have a theoretical statement to fight for his parents' status. When it comes to looking for legal regulations in books, he is still far behind.
Seeing that he was about to lose his status as his parents, Zhu Houcong was in pain, but he was weak and had no choice. But there was no end to his fate. When he was at his most desperate, a suitable person appeared at the right time and at the right place.
fortune telling
Four years ago (1517, the twelfth year of Zhengde), Beijing.
A scholar left the examination results office dejectedly. The results of the examination for this subject had just been posted here. After reading them more than a dozen times, he finally confirmed that he had failed the examination again.
Why say again?
Because this is the seventh time that he has failed the exam. This man’s name is Zhang Cong. It has been almost twenty years since he passed the exam. After that, he went to Beijing every three years, but he never even got a consolation prize. But this time
The failure also completely destroyed his patience and confidence.
He doesn't plan to continue taking the exam. Looking at the situation, his grandson may have to go to Beijing with a cane to take the exam when he marries a wife. Even if he passes the exam by then, the celebration party will probably be held together with the memorial service soon.
Then go and report to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. According to government regulations, you can become an official even if you are promoted. Even if the official is small, it is good to be able to gain fame after all.
However, just when he was about to step into the door of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and become an alternate official, he met someone who changed his destiny.
This man's surname was Xiao, who was the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate at the time. In addition to complaining, he also had a side job - fortune-telling. It was said that the fortune-telling was very accurate, so Mr. Zhang Cong treated the dead horse as a living horse doctor.
After enlightenment, I asked him to do a fortune telling for me.
Xiao Yushi took on the posture of a charlatan, took a look at calligraphy and fortune-telling, and came into a complete outfit, but fell silent.
Zhang Cong had no intention of playing hide and seek with him and eagerly asked him for the result.
"Take the exam again."
This is not the answer Zhang Cong wants. He has been roasted in the big iron pot of the imperial examination.
"As long as you take the exam again, you will definitely pass!" Xiao Banxian guaranteed, but the more exciting thing is below:
"After you pass the exam, you will definitely become rich and powerful within a few years and become the prime minister!"
Zhang Cong's eyes widened and he looked at the miraculous Xiao Banxian: Brother, you are too boastful!
Zhang Cong stared at Xiao Yushi with dissatisfaction. He thought that the other party was obviously making fun of him, so he was ready to end this ridiculous conversation and go to the official department to report.
However, Xiao Yushi held him back and said to him seriously:
"Take the test again, believe me, it's true."
Zhang Cong hesitated. Although it would be embarrassing to fail again, he had already taken the exam for twenty years. He didn't have to worry about the debt. At most, it would just be an extra layer of skin on his face. After thinking about it, he decided to take the exam again.
In the 16th year of Zhengde (1521), Zhang Cong, who took part in the joint examination for the eighth time, finally got what he wanted. He passed the examination. Although his ranking was not high (more than 70th place in the second class), he finally won the Jinshi.
However, the test results were really not good. He was not selected to become a Shujishi, which meant that he would not be able to become a Hanlin scholar. According to the practice at that time, if he was not a Hanlin scholar, it would be a fool's errand to join the cabinet. What's more, Brother Zhang Cong was already forty-seven or eighty-eight years old.
At this age, I can only play cards, drink tea, and wait until I retire gloriously.
From this point of view, Xiao Banxian is still a big liar.
Mr. Zhang Cong gave up all hope. He was assigned to the Ministry of Rites, but did not get any job. It is probably because the officials of the Ministry of Rites had no interest in this old man and only gave him the status of an intern.
As long as people have nothing to do, they will start to think blindly. Zhang Cong is a typical example. When he was extremely bored, he saw the "Research Report on Parental Rights Issues" written by Mr. Mao Cheng, and he suddenly woke up like a enlightenment!
He finally realized that Xiao Banxian might be right. He could not become a Shujishi, nor could he become a Hanlin, but it was still possible to become the prime minister!
This is an excellent opportunity, and your career is right around the corner!
But the risks are also very high. Zhang Cong knows very well that his opponent is not just his immediate boss Mao Cheng. The real enemy is Yang Tinghe, who has all the power in the world and is more powerful than the emperor. If he offends him, he will never
It will end well.
Therefore, in the court at that time, the ministers would rather offend the emperor than Lord Yang. It was not easy for everyone to gain fame after ten years of hard work. So many people knew about this, but no one dared to say anything.
But Mr. Zhang Cong is an exception. His fame was almost achieved by accident, and after becoming a Jinshi, his future was bleak and he didn't even have a serious job. It was really bullying.
Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Whoever is afraid of whom should just pretend that I have not passed the exam!
Although Mr. Zhang Cong is not a good examinee, he still has a specialty - etiquette. He has a lot of experience in this ancient formalism. At this moment, he is working hard at night, looking up information everywhere, and after working hard all night, he has an article
A stunning masterpiece was born.
He looked at this work of painstaking efforts, and his excitement was beyond words. He opened his bloodshot and red eyes and hurried to the palace. He understood that his destiny was about to change.
One of the most famous political events in the history of the Ming Dynasty, the "Grand Meeting Ceremony" event, thus kicked off.
I will not introduce the content of this document. It is a relatively boring article, and I guess no one is interested in reading it. In the article, Zhang Cong quoted from classics and references, and only explained one point to Zhu Houcong - who do you want to recognize as your father?
Either way.
Zhu Houcong was so happy that he took Zhang Cong's memorial and shouted excitedly to the sky:
"I can finally recognize my father (my father and son are both alive)!"
Zhu Houcong was as excited as if he had been on steroids. He immediately summoned Yang Tinghe and showed him this article. In the opinion of the young emperor, Mr. Yang would succumb to this article.
Yang Tinghe finished reading, but did not speak. He just started to sneer.
Zhu Houcong asked: "Why are you laughing?"
Yang Tinghe replied: "Who is this person? How can he have any say in national affairs?!"
After saying that, he put down the memorial, saluted and walked away, leaving only Zhu Houcong who was shaking with anger.
Well, in this case, don’t blame me for being rude!
Zhu Houcong had a fit, and he immediately wrote a handwritten edict, instructing the cabinet to immediately write a document and designate his parents as emperor and empress.
I am the emperor, can't I do this?
The facts vividly told Zhu Houcong that there were things the emperor could not do if Mr. Yang Tinghe did not agree.
The cabinet was very efficient, responded very quickly, and handled matters very neatly. Yang Tinghe sealed the letter and returned it to Zhu Houcong without even a formal reply.
So what about the emperor? I’m not afraid of you!
Zhu Houcong was extremely angry. He never expected that the emperor would be so cowardly, and he was determined to fight Mr. Yang Tinghe to the end.
The two sides were fighting endlessly, with you coming and going, it was really lively, but God seemed to think that it was not noisy enough, so he sent another fierce man to the stage, and he would not give up until the world was turned upside down!
This new player became the person who finally solved the problem, but this person was not an important official in the court, nor a military commander with military power, but just a middle-aged woman in her thirties. Of course, she was not an outsider.
The heroine is Zhu Houcong’s mother.
There is a saying that women are more cruel than men. This sentence could not be more suitable for this lady.
This first mother originally planned to go to the capital to become the queen mother, but when she got to Tongzhou, she learned that not only would she not be able to become the queen mother, but she would also lose her son.
The servant beside her didn't know what to do and asked her for her opinion.
"Driving is suspended here, please don't leave."
So when do you leave?
The entourage raised such questions, after all, the servants also have wives and children, so they can't be dragged away all the time.
"Don't even think about it!" Mother No. 1 suddenly roared, "Go tell Mr. Yang (Mr. Yang Tinghe) that I will never enter Beijing before my status is determined!"
This is the so-called shrew in the legend. Mr. Xingxian Wang (titled by Zhu Houcong's father) married such a wife. He must be quite familiar with the magic of lion roaring. His life has not been easy for many years.
Now that everyone is here, let’s make a fuss!
When Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong heard that his mother had arrived, he was immediately excited. He struck while the iron was hot and directly sent someone to tell Yang Tinghe that if you don't give my parents a status, my mother will not come and I will stop working. I would rather go back to Anlu.
Be a rich man, not an emperor!
Zhang Cong also saw the opportunity and wrote another article on etiquette, asking Yang Tinghe to give in and give him a status.
Suddenly, the three parties echoed each other, and there was a strong storm coming, and they vowed not to give up.
But they were not able to win in the end because their opponent was Yang Tinghe.
We have gone through all the turmoil, powerful officials and traitors have done nothing, so why are we afraid of you orphans and widowed mothers? Since I am coming, let me play with you and show you what high-level means!
First of all, he suddenly took the initiative to visit Zhu Houcong and told him that the cabinet had decided to name his father and mother Emperor Xingxian and Xingxian respectively, which was considered an explanation.
When Zhu Houcong was overjoyed, he quietly assigned Zhang Cong a job as head of the Nanjing Criminal Department.
The Nanjing Criminal Department is a place for retirement, and the meaning of this arrangement is very simple - you can get away as far as you want, and if you dare to make trouble, you will be destroyed.
Finally, there is the fierce woman. She is not as easy to deal with as her son. She is not satisfied with the current title and insists on adding the word "emperor" to her title.
Studying this kind of over-and-over word trick really makes people feel that it is a bit fussy, but Yang Tinghe did not think it was a trivial matter. He expressed his objection in an extremely simple way.
If you want to add that word, then I, Yang Tinghe, will resign and go home.
This trick has a long history and is often used by Western politicians today. Of course Mr. Yang Tinghe does not really want to resign. Everyone in the court belongs to him. If he leaves, how will this mess be cleaned up? Who will pay for your emperor's account?
?
Sure enough, Zhu Houcong panicked as soon as this move came out. He had only been here a few days, and the chief minister of the cabinet had quit his job. Who could handle the internal and external affairs?
So Zhu Houcong decided to compromise. He gave up his idea and planned to surrender to Mr. Yang Tinghe. Of course, it was a fake surrender.
The first round ended here. Mr. Yang Tinghe won.
Maybe many people in modern times think that this group of people is boring. They fight over a few words without any need. They are typical people looking for trouble.
People who hold this view do not really understand politics. A great politician once revealed all the secrets behind it with this sentence:
The struggle of viewpoints is false, the struggle of direction is also false, only the struggle of power is real.
They fought over and over again for one purpose - power. For thousands of years, countless people worked hard and struggled over and over again. To put it bluntly, that's all.
plan
Zhang Cong went to Nanjing dejectedly. He understood that this was Yang Tinghe's punishment for him, but since it was his own choice, he had nothing to say.
However, it was in Nanjing that he met another like-minded person. With this person's help, he would realize his grand dream of entering the cabinet. This person's name was Gui E.
Gui E was also an unsuccessful person. He was admitted to Jinshi very early. Unfortunately, his grades were poor and he only passed the top three grades. He was not even as good as Mr. Zhang Cong.
He knew how to behave, but he offended his boss and was sent to the Criminal Department, where he became a sixth-grade boss.
When Zhang Cong talked to Gui E for the first time and discussed his personal tragedy and unfortunate experience, Gui E had already decided that this colleague from the Ministry of Justice would be his lifelong close comrade-in-arms.
In the neglected and idle Nanjing, Gui E and Zhang Cong were passing their time in boredom, constantly complaining about their miserable lives and complaining about their unfair fate, until one day, they clenched their fists and decided to
The aloof and arrogant man launched an attack.
But the problem before them is very practical. Zhang Cong is a second-class Jinshi, Gui E is a third-class Jinshi, and their opponent, Mr. Yang Tinghe, was a genius who passed the imperial examination at the age of thirteen and became an imperial scholar at the age of twenty. Zhang Cong and
Gui E is the head of the Ministry of Punishment and a sixth-rank sesame official. Yang Tinghe is the number one figure in the imperial court and the chief minister of the cabinet.
Poor students versus top students, minor officials versus important ministers, they have no hope of winning.
But God seemed destined to make Xiao Banxian's prophecy come true, and he extended a helping hand to these two lonely men.
Soon after, a man named Fang Xianfu appeared. He sided with Zhang Cong and Guei, looking for theoretical ammunition for them to fight Yang Tinghe.
After that, Huang Zongming, Huo Tao and others also joined Zhang Cong's attack group.
There is no need to remember the names of these people. The reason why they are listed separately is because they have a common teacher-Wang Shouren.
At this time, Mr. Wang Shouren was no longer in the court. After being rectified by Yang Tinghe, he changed his career as a teacher and taught students. It should be noted that although his students' participation in this political struggle was not due to his instruction, the root cause was indeed
Comes from him.
Since Mr. Wang Shouren's major is the study of mind, he has always advocated the liberation of human nature. People who study this course will usually mind their own business when they see injustice. They are liberated, liberated, and finally liberated on the emperor.
Although Mr. Jiajing was regarded as the emperor, he was bullied by Mr. Yang Tinghe, a veteran, and even his parents could not recognize him. This was done in a very unethical manner. Many people at the time could not see it. Among them, the most indignant ones were the successors of Xinxue.
They had money and strength to contribute, which provided a theoretical basis for overthrowing the domineering Yang Tinghe.
From this we come to the first curse of officialdom in the Ming Dynasty: no matter what, never mess with Wang Shouren.
But Mr. Wang Shouren's magic power doesn't stop there. When he was alive, those who offended him would not end well; after his death, his spiritual power was still dazzling and became the nightmare of countless evil villains.
So, one day not long after, Zhang Cong found Gui E and asked him to do one thing - to file a memorial to attack Yang Tinghe.
The calyx is not dry.
Although he can be regarded as an angry middle-aged man, he did not dare to do such a thing that would get him burned, so he pointed the finger at Zhang Cong again:
"This is too risky, you have to do it yourself."
Zhang Cong looked at him confidently:
"This is your chance to make a name for yourself. Don't worry, if you do this, we will definitely win!"
Gui E waited with interest for the reason why he was so confident, but Zhang Cong just smiled and didn't answer.
Zhang Cong's confidence is indeed justified. He has the support of a heavyweight, who is also an old friend of ours. He is Mr. Yang Yiqing.
It can be said that he is still haunted. He has been around for decades and brought down countless fierce men. Although he and Yang Tinghe were originally comrades and had a common revolutionary fighting friendship (against Liu Jin), when things got to this point, he
I also feel that Yang Tinghe has gone too far. Mr. Yang has always been a helper in managing affairs but not in marriage, so he changed his focus and became a behind-the-scenes supporter of the Zhang Cong Group.
Zhang Cong has never been so confident. He never imagined that an insignificant person like himself would receive such great support.