Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 5 The Empire Shakes _ Chapter 2 Strange People
Strange man reappears
Yan Song fell, and Xu Jie took his place and became the chief minister of the imperial court and the manager of the imperial government. At this time, apart from him, there was only one person left in the cabinet - Yuan Wei. And this Yuan Wei happened to be
Still a student of Xu Jie.
So Xu Jie's era came, and after Yan Song, he became the actual manager of the empire.
In fact, many people in later generations will question this question, what is the difference between Xu Jie and Yan Song? Yan Song was corrupt, but Xu Jie was also unclean; Yan Song's son took bribes, and Xu Jie's son occupied land; Yan Song monopolized power, and so did Xu Jie.
On the surface they are the same, but actually they are different.
To explain it in a simple sentence, it is: Yan Song slowed down his work and Xu Jie worked hard.
If you look at the chief ministers of the Ming Dynasty, you will find that most of these people are poor (no one would believe them if they were poor). If they had to rely on wages alone, they would probably starve to death, so they have some economic problems.
, such as Huo Hao, Bing Jing, Tan Jing, etc. It’s not surprising that someone who works thousands of miles away is just for money.
But Xu Jie did practical things. Unlike Yan Song, as soon as he took office, he hung a plaque in his office: Return the power and blessings to the Lord, return government affairs to the officials, and sacrifice punishment to reward justice.
And he actually did it.
In Yan Song's era, most official positions were allocated based on only one principle - money. Yan Shifan was in charge, how much he would charge for each position, pay based on position, operating with integrity, and no counter-offering. Xu Jie abolished all of this.
, although he also appointed his cronies, but in general, he still managed to make the best use of people. It was through his efforts that first-class talents such as Li Chunfang, Zhang Juzheng, and Yin Zhengmao were able to show their talents.
In Yan Song's era, except for a few bold people, officials no longer dared to raise opinions. Although Yang Jisheng was a glorious role model, he was also a dead man after all. So everyone remained silent together, and Xu Jie changed everything.
He said to Jiajing: As a wise monarch, you should listen to the opinions of your ministers. Even if they are sometimes not polite, you should be tolerant, so that the way of speech can be relaxed and people dare to tell the truth.
Jiajing followed his advice, and saliva began to fly again. Even Xu Jie himself was not immune. But at the same time, corruption was exposed, bad governance was corrected, and the empire once again regained its vitality and vitality.
Xu Jie is principled. Unlike Yan Song, Lord Yan can disregard the life and death of the people in the world for personal interests, and can abandon all shame to cater to the emperor. Xu Jie has also done this kind of thing, but it was for the need of struggle. Now
It's time to get everything back to normal.
Jiajing wanted to build a new palace, but Xu Jie told him that there is no money in the treasury to build it for you.
Jiajing wanted to continue practicing Taoism and take elixirs, but Xu Jie told him that those elixirs were all fake and Taoist priests could not be trusted, so you should rest.
Even when Jiajing's son (King Jing) died, Xu Jie's first reaction was not to mourn, but to express tactfully that although I was sad, I was more concerned about the fiefdom of His Highness, now that he has died.
, then please give me an order to return his land to the people. Anyway, it is empty, so as not to waste it.
Although Jiajing was not happy about this behavior of burning bridges, he could do nothing about it. He looked at Xu Jie in front of him. This man had built a new palace for him, made elixirs for him personally, and obeyed him unconditionally. But now he
Only then did I realize that this gentle little man was not a sheep, but a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Although he felt that he had been cheated, he had no choice. Yan Song had left, and all government affairs had to be managed by this person. He couldn't even return the goods, so he had to let him do whatever he wanted.
Absolute power not only produces absolute corruption, but also absolute desires, which are desires that can never be satisfied. This is the beginning of all disasters. That’s why Yan Song has stood firm for decades, and has been corrupt and unscrupulous.
It is precisely because Jiajing has endless desires, and Yan Song happens to be an unconditional caterer.
Now Xu Jie has appeared. Although he has catered to him, it is just a disguise. His true identity is the check and balancer.
Many people don't know that in the long history of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Jie was an extremely important figure, so important that it exceeded almost everyone's imagination. His greatest achievement was not that he defeated Yan Song, but that he represented
stock power.
Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister, with the changes of the times, the Ming Dynasty has gradually formed a very special power system. The emperor, eunuchs and ministers formed a unique iron triangle. The emperor sometimes trusted the eunuchs (such as Ming Wuzong), and some
Always trust ministers (such as Ming Xiaozong).
In political science, the three parties of this iron triangle have another name: monarch power, eunuch power and prime minister power. This is the power structure of the empire. They check and balance each other and maintain each other. Among these three powers, as long as two of them are combined
If you rise up, you can control the entire empire.
In the past two hundred years, the first two combinations have appeared. The emperor once united with eunuchs and also with ministers. No matter which alliance it was, the third party was always isolated and helpless.
There is only one situation that has never occurred. In fact, no one has ever expected that situation to appear, because in that era of domination, it seemed that it could never be realized.
But it did become a reality, and the founder of this miracle alliance was Xu Jie.
Ironically, the first person to break the triangle balance and create conditions for this miracle to appear was actually Jiajing. As the smartest emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty, he had talents that were unmatched by his predecessors.
With his extreme wisdom and strategizing, he solved the three-dynasty veteran Yang Tinghe, then Zhang Cong, Guo Xun, and Xia Yan at the age of sixteen. While attacking the ministers, he also targeted the eunuchs and severely suppressed them, so that
Countless young men from the palace who devoted themselves to this glorious profession and were determined to make great achievements could only wash toilets and take out the garbage. Looking at the entire Jiajing Dynasty, for more than 40 years, there was no famous eunuch, which is unique.
He doesn't want to form an alliance with anyone, and he doesn't trust anyone. He believes that he can control the entire empire by himself, and all he needs are a few puppets.
Everything was going so smoothly and the empire was under control, until he met Yan Song and Xu Jie.
After more than twenty years of testing, Yan Song figured out his temper and personality, and successfully influenced and used him to some extent.
And Xu Jie went a step further. After defeating Yan Song, he became a person who could check and balance Jiajing. When Jiajing wanted to repair the house, he would not repair it if he said not to do it; he would divide the land of Jiajing's son if he asked. This is a
An inconspicuous but extremely important turning point, it means the emergence of a powerful force, powerful enough to surpass the supreme imperial power.
This is the true meaning of what Xu Jie represents. It is not an individual, but the power of the prime minister, and the power of the entire civil servant group.
Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister back then because he wanted to control all power, and the same is true for Jiajing now. They all believe that without anyone's help, they can break the balance of power and control everything with their own talents and abilities.
, and the facts proved that they were all wrong.
No matter how strong a person is, he cannot resist the laws of society. It is like a spring. The greater the pressure, the stronger the rebound.
As a super talented person, Zhu Yuanzhang carried out the model worker spirit to the end, serving as both emperor and prime minister. After all, he pressed the spring until the last moment of his life. Jiajing was not so lucky. Compared with Lao Zhu, he was still far behind, so
Before he became an immortal, he felt the powerful counterattack. His desires had been suppressed and his power would be taken away.
Anyone who dares to challenge the rules will be punished by the rules, without exception.
More than thirty years ago, when Jiajing carved the words "Xu Jie villain, never use it" on a pillar, he would never have thought that this so-called "villain" would become an "adult", and he and all his
The power represented will overwhelm all powers in the world - including the emperor himself.
A great change has come, the era of emperors is coming to an end, and the era of famous ministers is coming. They will replace the supreme emperor and become the true rulers of the empire.
But Xu Jie is just the architect and pioneer of all this. The person who turned it into reality and created immortal achievements is still waiting quietly.
All in all, Jiajing's good days are gone forever. No matter what he wants to do, Xu Jie will always have a foot in the door and say a few words. It's not enough if he doesn't listen, because this man is not only cunning, but also has disciples and former officials all over the court.
, his prestige is extremely high and he responds to every call. If he is angered, he may become the bare commander.
So be it, I can't care about it anyway, out of sight, out of mind, concentrate on cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs, and trying to live for two more years is the serious thing.
In this way, Xu Jie took over almost all the government affairs of the empire. He worked hard day and night. Under his excellent political leadership, the revenue of the treasury began to increase, the armaments that had been slack for a long time were revived, and the industry and commerce in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas made great progress.
, the so-called germination of capitalism during the Wanli period originated from this.
You become your fairy, I do my job, and everyone does not interfere with each other. History has proved that as long as the Chinese people do not trouble themselves, everything can be handled easily. Amidst the silence, the Ming Dynasty was once again on the right track.
Xu Jie breathed a sigh of relief. After so many years of trouble, it could finally stop. But God was really unwilling to be lonely. Less than a year after the collapse of the Yan Party, he sent another strange person to break the short-term peace.
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But please don't get me wrong, this so-called strange man is not a genius like Yan Shifan, but a strange person, a strange little person.
In February of the forty-fifth year of Jiajing (1566), Emperor Jiajing received a memorial. Since Xu Jie opened up freedom of speech, he has received many more memorials than before. Some complained, some complained, and some flattered.
There were attacks on each other, but there was only one subject that no one touched upon - those who accused him of practicing Taoism.
You know, although Comrade Jiajing is old and can no longer do as he pleases, he also has a bottom line: you do what you do, I do what mine does, you run the country, I refine elixirs and practice Taoism, and we don't interfere with each other. Whatever you do, don't mess with me.
Just like me, I want to save face. If anyone dares to show off my face, I will kill him!
Everyone knew that this was a tiger's butt, and they didn't touch it. Even if Xu Jie tried to persuade him, he still had to go around seven or eight corners before he could open his mouth, so this project has always been blank.
But the emergence of this memorial completely filled this gap and successfully brought Comrade Jiajing's anger index to a new level.
Shared by Qiwen, the excerpt is as follows:
"Your Majesty, you practice Taoism and refine elixirs just to live forever, isn't it? But have you ever heard of any ancient sage who said this? And which Taoist priest is not dead? There was Tao Zhongwen before, didn't you trust him very much? Didn't he teach
Do you have the magic of immortality? Isn’t he dead too?”
This is a scolding of monasticism, and also:
"Your Majesty, do you think you will never make mistakes? It's just that the ministers are flattering and deliberately flattering you. Don't think that you are right because no one says you are wrong. You have made countless mistakes!"
What are the specific ones? Next:
"You are extravagant and licentious, carrying out large-scale construction projects, abusing people's power, not going to court for more than 20 years, and not doing anything (to be fair, even though he doesn't go to court, he still does things), which has led to the slackness of government affairs, the laxity of laws and regulations, and the people's livelihood!"
This is business, as well as private life:
"You listened to the slanderous words and refused to see your son (that is, the theory of 'two dragons cannot meet' mentioned by Tao Zhongwen). You ignored the affection between father and son. You practiced alchemy in Xiyuan every day, did not return to the harem, and ignored the friendship between husband and wife. (It's really strange.
It’s none of your business), it’s wrong to do this.”
In addition, there are two key points in the article, which can be said to be famous throughout the ages and should be reviewed with you:
First, Jia Jing means a family; Jing Zhe means purity. Jiajing means a family is pure.
Secondly, the man who dominates the world is not worthy of Your Majesty.
There is no need to translate this. To put it crudely, it is: under your wise leadership, the common people have become paupers, and they have stopped looking after you for a long time.
Looking at this article, the main points are clear, the thinking is clear, it contains both theory and vivid examples, and it covers all aspects of work and life.
The author of the article is the great Comrade Hai Rui, who was the division-level director of the Ministry of Household Affairs at that time. The name of this article is "Public Security Shu", also known as the "No. 1 Shu in the World". Of course, there are some short-sighted people who call it the No. 1 scolding book in the world.
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A famous scholar once said that it is not difficult to scold people, but it is very difficult to scold people well. But it is even more difficult to be able to publish a book about scolding and it is also a best-seller. The whole of China has been able to reach this level for more than a hundred years.
There were only two people, one was Lu Xun and the other was Li Ao.
In my opinion, if the time span is increased to four hundred years, then Mr. Hai Rui will definitely join this glorious ranks.
Jiajing was angry. He had never been so angry since he was born. He had been the emperor for more than forty years and tried his best to control his ministers. Is it easy for me? I usually don’t have any bad habits, so I just practice Taoism and refine elixirs.
Why did I offend you?
Let’s talk about work issues. Just look at the fact that I haven’t gone to Chaoguang to practice Taoism during the day for more than 20 years. Then do you know that every night when you go to bed, I am still working overtime in Xiyuan to correct memorials? Otherwise, you would think that all important national affairs are nothing.
Who decided.
Also, if I don’t care about my son and can’t live a married life, you are not my father, so it has nothing to do with you?
So in Jiajing's view, this was not a memorial, but a challenge, a naked provocation. So he threw the document to the ground and shouted:
"Send someone to arrest him quickly, don't let this man escape!"
Without even thinking about it, where can the person you want to arrest go to unless he leaves the country?
Seeing that the Emperor was about to take action, a kind man appeared at the critical moment.
This man's name was Huang Jin, and he was an eunuch serving in Jiajing. He was very clever, and he extinguished the emperor's raging anger with just one sentence:
"I heard that this person has some mental problems. He has already bought a coffin before, so he probably won't run away."
Huang Jin's words were absolutely correct. Mr. Hai Rui had already taken a bath, changed his clothes, and was sitting upright next to his coffin, waiting for the knife.
He had no intention of running away. If he did, he wouldn't be Hai Rui.
The sky is above
As a very well-known historical figure, Mr. Hai Rui has an unusual honorary title - the most honest official in the Ming Dynasty.
But in my opinion, another title is more suitable for him - the most amazing person in the Ming Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty, where test scores determined everything, if you wanted to become famous and have a good reputation, you generally had to have some capital. If you were not very smart (Zhang Juzheng), you were very lucky (Zhang Cong). Other than that, other people
There is no other way.
Hai Rui is probably the only exception. He is not smart, he didn't even win the imperial examination, and his luck is not very good. Every time he goes to a job, he is always beaten to death by his superiors, but in the end he is promoted to the ministerial level and becomes a minister.
A legendary figure admired by thousands of people.
In the ninth year of Zhengde (1514), Hai Rui was born into a cadre family in Qiongshan, Hainan. Speaking of which, this brother's life experience was not bad. Several of his uncles were either Jinshi or Juren, and they were doing well, but they didn't do well.
His father, Haihan, had a weak brain and was only a scholar until his death, and he died quite young.
When his father died, Hai Rui was only four years old. There was no one else in the family and he could only depend on his mother.
Although there is no clear record in the historical data, according to the analysis of the existing data, Hai Rui's uncles and uncles were not very kind. It was clear that someone in the family was an official, but Hai Rui did not get any glory. His childhood life was very difficult, so that
My mother does needlework every day to supplement the family income.
Obviously, in the Hai family, the Hai Rui family probably has very little status. Everyone thinks that the mother and son will never make a big splash. The actual situation seems to be similar. Hai Rui has neither been able to write poetry nor can he write poems since he was a child.
If you can compose, you don't have any signs of being a child prodigy. Depending on the situation, you will be able to become a scholar in the future.
Although the situation is not very optimistic, Hai Rui's mother has a certain truth: no matter how poor she is, she can't afford education, and no matter how miserable she is, she can't teach her children. No matter how poor or miserable the family is, she ensures that Hai Rui eats well and drinks well, and supervises her day and night.
He studies hard.
This was Hai Rui's childhood life. Every day he was either in school or with his mother. The children around him didn't come to play with him. Of course, Hai Rui's classmates didn't care either. His only ambition was to study hard and make progress every day.
Many historical materials talk about this experience of Hai Rui, either praising him for his hard work or praising his mother for teaching her children well. But in my opinion, this is all nonsense. This is how a good child was ruined.
He was lonely, no one played with him, he only read old antiques from thousands of years ago every day, and his brain was not working well. So while his studies progressed, Hai Rui's character began to slide to a dangerous extreme - extreme. From then on
From now on, in his world, it is either right or wrong, black or white, there is no third choice.
In addition, the hard life in his childhood also cultivated his tenacious personality and the spirit of never giving up easily no matter where and when. However, it also had a side effect: although he experienced countless storms in his subsequent life,
, he met many people, but he always trusted and only trusted one person - his mother.
During the difficult years, it was his mother who accompanied him, raised him, and educated him. Therefore, although he married a wife and had children, they were just passers-by in his life. To put it bluntly, he didn't care at all.
The lonely and extreme Hai Rui grew up like this. He studied hard and studied hard, hoping that one day he would be on the gold medal list and at least surpass his father.
However, his IQ was really limited, and his level was just there. He failed the exams many times, and by the time he was in his twenties, he couldn't even be considered a scholar. There was nothing he could do, everyone was different.
But Mr. Hai Rui was tenacious, and he continued to take exams when he was idle anyway. He kept grinding like this, and finally at the age of 28, he was gloriously admitted to the county school and became a student member.
I am ashamed to say that compared with Yang Tinghe and Xu Jie we mentioned before, Mr. Hai Rui's performance is really poor. At his age, he had been in the Hanlin Academy and copied documents for several years. From the current point of view, Hai Rui will be able to succeed in the future.
It is already a miracle that he is a county magistrate. To say that he is capable of serving as a minister is beyond belief.
Of course, Hai Rui himself has never had any illusions. For him, his biggest ideal at present is to pass the examination.
Then he went on to take the exam. No surprise, he still failed the exam many times. Until he was thirty-six years old, the dark side finally became clear, and he gloriously passed the exam.
The natural next step is to keep up the good work and go to the capital to take the imperial examination. Student Hai Rui, work hard! Work hard!
Go to Beijing, take the exam, fail, go home, go to Beijing again, take the exam again, fail again, go home again. Six years have passed in the blink of an eye.
After struggling and working hard, I know my own strength best, so I won’t take the exam anymore, don’t say anything, just report to the staff department.
We have said before that in the Ming Dynasty, people who were elected could also become officials, but they had to wait. When the current officials died more often and there were more vacancies, the opportunity would come. But many people who were elected would rather fail the exam repeatedly and get a beard.
There are a lot of people who are unwilling to report to the official department. If you are an official and don't go, it is definitely not because you are full. You must know that people have their own difficulties.
First of all, this official has to wait, from a few years to a few decades, it depends on your luck and how long your life span is. If the appointment order coincides with your memorial service, it cannot be said that you are unlucky.
Secondly, the officials are not good. Most of the officials assigned to the government are idlers from the Qingshui Yamen. They are minor officials, such as bookkeepers, historians, professors (from the ninth grade, not today's professors), etc. At most, they are just a person.
If you are an eighth or ninth grader and can get a seventh grade county magistrate, then there is a fire in your ancestral grave. Remember to go back and pay your respects.
Once again, this official has to be selected. Don’t think that you have been wronged because you are a junior official. If you want it, it won’t be given to you! You still have to go to the civil service department for an interview. Everyone should line up and stand in a row and let the examiner pick. The article and knowledge are not tested.
I don’t have time to take the test. The emphasis here is to judge people by their appearance. Handsome ones are promoted, ordinary ones are to be determined, and those with crooked melons and cracked dates are directly eliminated. By the way, there are unified standards for appearance assessment. The Chinese character face is the best, the wide face is second, and the sharp mouth and monkey cheeks are the best.
Or, rush home to plant sweet potatoes.
Finally, this official is useless. In the Ming Dynasty, the most important thing was family background. Jinshi was a qualified product, and a common scholar was a high-quality product. As for the candidates, they were naturally not defective products, but waste products.
A Ming Dynasty bureaucrat once concluded that as long as you are a Jinshi, your merits will be remembered, and you will be protected in case of trouble. If you start as a seventh-rank official, over a few decades, even if there are famines, floods, and droughts, you can still be a fifth-rank official.
Deputy department level.
But when it comes to promoting people, others will always take the credit, and you will always take the blame. Even if you don't cause trouble, your superiors will find trouble for you from time to time. Starting from the ninth rank, you will have good harvests every year, and you can retire at the seventh rank.
Good luck, boy.
Hai Rui faced such a situation. Fortunately, he was very lucky. He only had to wait for five years before he found a position - the teaching post in Nanping County, Fujian Province.
The so-called teachings refer to officials in the education system. In layman's terms, they are the education directors of Nanping County, Fujian Province. From the looks of it, Hai Rui's official position is pretty good.
If you think so, you are wrong. The education system back then was not very prosperous. There was no enrollment expansion, no school selection fees, and no need to purchase textbooks. There were only a few four books and five classics, exercise sets, simulation questions, secret papers, etc.
Use it as toilet paper. Key universities, key middle schools, key elementary schools, key kindergartens. If you fail the imperial examination, it will all be in vain.
The superior of the county school professor is the professor of the government school. As mentioned before, the professor is from the ninth grade, and the professor is lower than the professor, so how should the grade be determined? You don’t have to worry about this, the court has already thought about it.
There is a unified name for this kind of position - being unqualified.
In other words, you are still a government civil servant, but you are not on the same level as you. Don't complain or complain. After all, the court still pays you a salary every month.
In this way, Hai Rui took his mother to Nanping and became a low-ranking official. He was forty-one years old.
Already in his forties, the official puberty has passed. Even if he wants to rebel, he has passed the golden age. However, Hai Rui is confident and ready to go. In other words, he is quite capable of fighting to make this low-ranking official successful.
Quite popular.
The county school is just a place to study. As long as you can pass the Juren Examination, it doesn't matter how long you attend classes or whether you attend them or not. So students have always come and left whenever they want. But it's different now. Since Hai Rui
Once you are here, please don’t leave.
He standardized the attendance system and stipulated that anyone who did not show up would have to ask for leave. Anyone who dared to miss class without authorization would be severely punished. And he did what he said, being the first to arrive and the last to leave every day. No one should be missing.
Now the students were miserable. It was common for them to leave early and skip classes every day, but now they were suddenly caught. The director always had an expression on his face that said you owe him money. So soon after, Mr. Hai Rui
He got his first nickname in life - King of Hell.
It was hard to endure, but the students soon discovered that this King of Hell has an advantage - he never accepts gifts.
The so-called gifts are things given to teachers by parents of students. They are not necessarily money. They include chicken, duck, fish, seafood and other specialties. To be honest, no one wants to give this thing, but if you don't give it, there is no guarantee that the teacher will not take special care of it.
Your children: ignore them, punish them to be cleaned, punish them to sit in the back row, etc., they are all easy to catch.
But King Haiyan refused. Not only did he not accept gifts, he also did not embarrass the students. He treated everyone equally. Although he was very strict, he never punished students based on personal likes and dislikes. Therefore, despite being afraid, the students also respected him.
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In fact, generally speaking, this career is very suitable for Hai Rui. With his temper, no superior can stand him. He can only serve as a small lecturer and there is no social entertainment, so he is very comfortable.
But when people are wandering in the world, they always have to meet the leader, and what is supposed to come will still come.
One day, the prefect of Yanping went to Nanping County for an inspection. As usual, he wanted to see the school. Hai Rui took his assistants and students out to greet them. As soon as they arrived, the two assistants immediately knelt down and saluted. However, the prefect's comrade was still very unhappy because Hai Rui
Rui didn't kneel down.
Not only did he not kneel, he also looked directly at his superior without blinking.
The magistrate was of fifth rank, Hai Rui was of no rank, and the rankless one was competing with the fifth rank. The contrast was too great, and the prefect could not accept it psychologically. But in front of so many people, it was unseemly to get angry, so the prefect left depressedly.
Before that, he even muttered:
“Where does this come from Beacon Hill!”
Two people were kneeling on both sides, with Hai Rui standing tall in the middle. It really looked like a pen holder, and it was just right.
Although he spoke not loudly, everyone heard it. Because this metaphor was too vivid, from then on, Mr. Hai Rui had a second nickname - Hai Bijie. The two nicknames were ranked in no particular order.
Can be used at will.
Everyone was panicking, but Hai Rui acted as if nothing had happened. He had his own theoretical basis: Education officials do not kneel. That is stipulated by the sages (whose sages are yet to be investigated). What's wrong with me listening to the sages?
The prefect was unhappy, but what made him even more unhappy was what happened later. Not long after, a patrol censor came to visit. As mentioned before, the so-called patrol censor, although he was only the sixth or seventh grade, had great energy.
Can interfere with the duties of the governor and governor, let alone a small prefect.
The prefect was frightened and waited on horseback. The censor touched his full belly and burped while saying: Go down and have a look.
After this trip, they went to Nanping. When the news came down, the county magistrate was also nervous. After all, the censor was a central cadre. A few words and a few words could kill people, so he led all the officials in the county to greet him early.
At the door, waiting for the royal censor to come.
The censor came, and the county magistrate gave the order. Everyone obeyed the command, knelt down in uniform, and behaved in a regular manner, except Hai Rui.
This time the magistrate is in big trouble. Last time there were only three people, and the pen holder was just a pen holder. It didn't matter. This time there are hundreds of people, and everyone is on their knees. You stand out from the crowd by yourself, and you want my life!
The Royal Censor was also surprised and thought to himself, there should be no one with a higher official rank than him in Nanping County, and there seems to be no retired high-ranking officials. Who is this guy?
When he figured out the situation, he immediately became furious, but it was hard to get angry in front of so many people, so he had to pretend that he didn't see him, walked around casually, and left without even eating.
After the magistrate wiped off his sweat, he went to find Hai Rui to settle the score, and cursed him for causing trouble on purpose. But Comrade Hai Rui didn't blush or breath, and he didn't talk back when he was scolded. He waited until the magistrate had lost the strength to scold him, and then he was done.
Li, I went home for dinner.
He refuses to take soft and hard advice, and he neither seeks promotion nor wealth. What can you do to him?
The sea accepts hundreds of rivers, and it is great if it has tolerance. If it stands thousands of feet high on the wall, it will be strong if it has no desires.
Because you have no desires, you are strong.
Hai Rui really had no desire. His only motivation was to work. In his opinion, since he was paid by the court, he had to work for the court. Promotion and wealth had nothing to do with him.
It is naturally impossible for such a person to get promoted, but God likes to joke. The person who least wants to be promoted gets promoted, and he gets an exceptional promotion.
In the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing (1558), Hai Rui unexpectedly received an official document from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, transferring him to Chun'an, Zhejiang Province as the county magistrate.
This is an unbelievable thing. Before this, Hai Rui was just a low-ranking official. It was hard to find his name on the roster. Now he was promoted six levels in a row and became a seventh-level county magistrate!
Countless people have worked hard to give gifts and flattery, for decades, just to get a chance to retire as a county magistrate. Hai Rui worked for four years, not to mention gifts, not even a fly was given. His superiors hated him with gnashing teeth. Such a person,
Why did you get promoted?
The reasons are complicated. It is said that the academicians in Fujian admired Hai Rui very much and recommended him to their superiors. But more importantly, as an evangelist, he worked very seriously and achieved results, which has fully proved that he
For the empire, sycophants are certainly needed for their abilities, but those people are only used for entertainment. When it comes to work, you have to find capable people.
Regarding this issue, the officials of the imperial court were well aware of it.
So Hai Rui left Fujian with this appointment letter and went to Chun'an, Zhejiang, where he would start a new legend.
The destruction of unspoken rules
At the gate of the city, Hai Rui met the main officials of the county who greeted him, including the county magistrate, the chief registrar, the historian, and of course, the edicts. They all smiled broadly, as if they were seeing long-lost relatives, and they all beat their chests and sighed.
Why didn’t Magistrate Hai come earlier?
It’s hard to say what these gentlemen are thinking in their hearts, but what is certain is that if they knew what was about to happen here, they would definitely lament why they did not petition the court to drive this person away earlier.
As the saying goes, there are three things to do when a new official takes office, and Magistrate Hai County seems to be no exception. As soon as he arrived at the place, he publicly announced that from now on, all the bad rules of the yamen will be abolished. Everyone must deepen their understanding, make up their minds, and resolutely implement them.
The so-called bad rules, that is, gray income, euphemistically called unplanned income. There are two methods with the longest history and the most frequently used, one is the consumption of silver and the other is the tip of the stick. The specific method has been introduced before, here
I won’t go into details. However, with the development of the times, bad rules were constantly introduced and new ones were introduced. By the time of Hai Rui, a perfect system with flexible methods and various forms had been formed to conceal the truth from the court and slaughter the people.
We have said that the salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty was very low. Although they could barely make a living, they did not work hard to become an official just to make a living. Officials in the Ming Dynasty needed a sedan when going out, servants at home, and maybe more.
He has several wives, and if you suddenly ask him to be diligent and frugal, it will cost his life.
Hai Rui planned to kill them.
Mr. Hai issued regulations, prohibiting the collection of fire expenses, the collection of surplus grain, in short, no collection of money other than the imperial salary.
At first, everyone didn’t take it seriously. Anyway, similar slogans were shouted a lot. If we don’t accept it, you won’t accept it either? They believed that after these three fires were burned out, Magistrate Hai would regain his sense.
But as the days passed, Mr. Hai Rui showed no signs of recovery. He never let go, and he did it. He never took a sedan chair, walked to and from get off work, never received fuel, and ate vegetables and tofu every day. Wearing some shabby clothes, he walked into the house.
It's over. It seems that this brother is serious. Not only is he a torch, he is also an oil depot. He plans to burn you and me with blazing flames.
We must fight back and nip this unhealthy trend in the bud!
Soon after, an unprecedented scene appeared in the Chun'an County Government Office. The county magistrate asked for leave, the chief registrar asked for leave, Dian Shi asked for leave, and even the county public security director (dutou) also asked for leave. In short, everyone went on strike, and the county government office
Completely paralyzed.
This is the so-called "non-violence and non-cooperation". If you don't follow the path, it depends on whether you can play it alone.
They brought tea, crossed their legs, and prepared to watch the show, but in the end they saw a miracle happen.
If you don’t have a master, it doesn’t matter. You can make your own ideas. If you don’t have paperwork, it doesn’t matter. You can write the documents yourself. If there is no one to take care of public security, it doesn’t matter. If you walk one more circle every day, just treat it as patrolling. When you don’t have an assistant, it doesn’t matter. You can check it by yourself.
Trial, make your own judgment; no one will make a decision when the judgment is made, it doesn't matter, there are still a few old servants at home, they can make do with it.
The private life of Magistrate Hai was also an eye-opener for them. Since moving into the county government, Comrade Hai Rui has mobilized his family. His wife cooks every day, which saves the cook money, and the old servant goes up to the mountain every day.
Chopping firewood saves money on firewood. Hai Rui himself is not idle either. After work, he opens a vegetable patch in his backyard, watering and fertilizing, and even saving money on vegetables.
After seven provinces and eight provinces like this, Magistrate Hai is still living a very difficult life. The whole family is dressed in rags and has a gray-haired face. They bear a certain resemblance to the beggar. Even the elders of the Beggar Clan probably don't believe him when they say he is the county magistrate.
This is the situation. Seeing Brother Hai going to court to hear cases every day and going to the fields to plant vegetables, everyone is getting more and more panicked. It seems that this uncle is preparing to fight for a long time. In desperation, everyone has to return to their respective positions, and the gray income is still
If you want to be fired from the government for trivial matters, you will have no choice but to take advantage of the situation.
So everyone returned to their jobs and continued to work, even if they didn't work, then again, can you still rebel?
Over time, everyone gradually got used to the difficult lifestyle, and their admiration for Lord Hai gradually became as continuous as a torrential river, because they discovered that Magistrate Hai had developed in all aspects. He not only restrained his subordinates, but was also mean to himself and even his superiors.
Leader, he treats everyone equally.
In the Ming Dynasty, local officials had a lot of money and could collect taxes, so they had a lot of money, but officials in the capital were far behind. They could only wait for the people below to come to Beijing to get some benefits. So every time the local officials
When an official reports to the capital, he must prepare a lot of money to facilitate entertainment.
Although Chun'an was relatively poor and had tight finances, this money was a matter of life and death and could never be saved. Every county magistrate who went on a business trip to the capital would have spent at least nearly a thousand taels, which was quite economical.
Hai Rui also went to Beijing. After a trip and coming back, the expenses were submitted to the county government for reimbursement. When the finance department saw the numbers, he was stunned. It was unprecedented and unique - fifty-five taels.
This number includes round-trip fares, bus fares, accommodation, meal expenses, entertainment expenses and all possible expenses. It is an absolutely record-breaking number.
How was this record created? Let me tell you: when you go on the road, you must be able to walk, never take a car; carry a few large cakes with you, and if you can make do, never go to a restaurant; if you can get to the inn, stay at the inn (the inn is based on the county
There is no charge for a letter of introduction from the government). If you can’t catch up, you won’t stay in a private hotel. You can just find a haystack for a night.
When you arrive in the capital, don't socialize if you can. If you have to eat, just find a noodle stall or a food stall and do it. Even if the other person's face is as red as pig liver, you don't care. Use the association method to increase your appetite.
Eat while watching, and that's the meal. Try to eat more, so you can hold on for a while on the way back, and by the way, you'll save money on the next meal.
Unfortunately, even if you can do it, you may not be able to break this record, because Mr. Hai Rui is thin or lean (you can refer to the portrait). He doesn't eat much, and he uses less fabric for his clothes. If you want to surpass him,
, that is very difficult.
Compared with offending the officials in the capital, offending his subordinates before was really a small matter, but compared with the two big people he offended later, these small officials in the capital were really nothing to mention. And from a small person to a
Big shot, from nobody to nobody
It is famous far and wide, and this is where it started.
The first big shot was Hu Zongxian. At that time, he was already the number one figure in the Southeast. It’s actually funny to say that with Hai Rui’s background and official title, let alone offending him, if he wanted to see Governor Hu, he would have to wait at least half a month.
Prepare many red envelopes for the concierge.
But little people have their own ways. Brother Hai Rui not only made Hu Zongxian remember his name without spending a penny, he also earned thousands of extra taels of silver from Governor Hu.
In the final analysis, this matter has to be blamed on Hu Zongxian for not taking good care of his relatives. Although he himself is greedy, he is not enough to deal with people of Hai Rui's level. It is a pity that his son does not have his awareness.
It is said that Mr. Hu has a habit - traveling. Of course, he does not need to spend money on traveling. Anyway, my father is the governor. He eats and takes things along the way, and earns some pocket money along the way. This is not counting, he also likes to repeat it.
Visit the same scenic spot, go back and get money back.
Even so, there are still many prefects and magistrates looking forward to him going. After all, he is the son of the governor, so it is good to have a nice word. Anyway, you don't have to pay for the entertainment yourself, so why not do it.
But Hai Rui didn't want to. In his opinion, the country's money is money and must not be spent carelessly, so he was not interested in it. However, it doesn't matter whether he doesn't like it or not, what is supposed to come will still come.
During a tour, Mr. Hu happened to pass through Chun'an, so he checked into the local guest house without hesitation, waiting for the county magistrate to come to pay his respects. This is how things started.
The news quickly reached Hai Rui's ears. Although his subordinates repeatedly emphasized that this was Hu Zongxian's son, Hai Rui only had one answer:
"Hu Zongxian's son is not Hu Zongxian, so what does it matter what he does?"
After receiving the instructions, the staff of the guest house treated Mr. Hu to a meal as if they were ordinary guests. Mr. Hai Rui ate brown rice and drank pickle soup by himself, so his standard of entertaining guests was naturally not much higher. So soon the second
When the news came, Mr. Hu lost his temper and hung up the cook and the hostel manager and beat them severely.
Everyone was anxious and just thinking about how to end the situation and let the governor's son calm down, when Hai Rui slapped the table and shouted:
"If you rebel against him, send someone over immediately to hang him up and beat him too!"
This genius idea was beyond everyone's imagination. Everyone was dumbfounded, including the government servant who beat the person. Seeing that no one was moving, Hai Rui patted the table again and added some oil:
"Just go and fight, I'll be responsible for anything that happens!"
I don't want to see you in the first place, but you still dare to show off your power. I can't beat you to death, you little bastard!
Okay, this is what you said. Anyway, someone was taking the blame and fighting was not in vain, so everyone rushed over and got into a fight. Although Mr. Hu had a few gangsters around him, they couldn't beat the professional thugs in the yamen, and he was beaten by the sea.
Suddenly, that's not all. Magistrate Hai had finished his work as a thug and wanted to commit robbery. He even confiscated the thousands of taels of silver Mr. Hu had with him.
After beating people and having enough fun, Mr. Hu with a bruised nose and swollen face was sent away, and Mr. Hai was almost finished. This was everyone's unanimous view of the current situation at that time. He beat someone's son, robbed someone else's money, and returned
If I don't take care of you, it would be really unreasonable.
Hai Rui didn't see it that way. He told his panicked subordinates that there was no need to be afraid, he could handle the matter.
How to do it? Even if you kowtow to pay your respects and send money, people may not pay attention to you!
No, no, no need to send money or apologize, just a letter.
This is indeed the case. Everything goes well and the world is at peace. A letter is enough.
What a miracle. The main content of this letter is introduced as follows for your reference:
Mr. Hu, I remember you once said when you were out on inspections that all states and counties must be economical and passing officials are not allowed to be extravagant and wasteful. But today when our county received a passerby, he thought the reception was too simple and beat the waiter severely.
You dare to claim to be your son. I have always heard that you are very strict about the education of your children. How could you have such a son? This man must be a fake and ruin your reputation. He is so bad and outrageous. This is a punishment.
, all his property has been confiscated by me, put into the national treasury, and sent to you to make you miserable.
Hu Zongxian couldn't laugh or cry after seeing it, so the matter was settled. Hai Rui still served as his county magistrate, and Hu Zongxian still resisted his Japanese. However, Mr. Hu was said to have been scolded by his father after he returned, and he was no longer interested in traveling.
Great reduction.
This is a record that has been reproduced in many history books to portray Mr. Hai Rui’s glorious image, but in fact, behind it, there are two important pieces of information hidden:
First of all, this story tells us that although Mr. Hai Rui eats brown rice, wears rags, and is determined to do things without leaving any room for error, he is not a stupid person. A stupid person cannot be an upright official, but can only be a stupid official.
What is even more hidden is that Hu Zongxian is a man of relatively noble character. Although Hai Rui used his brains and wrote an article, it would only take a matter of minutes for Hu Zongxian to deal with him.
An excuse is enough. His son was beaten and his face was humiliated, but Governor Hu did not settle the score. So although he was not a good father, he was really a good governor.
This time, Hai Rui passed the test safely, but in the final analysis, it was because he met a good person. Next time, he will not be so lucky.
It is embarrassing to say that there were many figures in the Ming Dynasty, but only a few could be included in this article. Because of the limited space, only famous people, good or bad, could appear.
Take the Yan Party as an example. In fact, Yan Song had many subordinates. I calculated that there were more than 20 ministerial-level officials like Shangshu Shilang alone (including officials of the same level in Nanjing and the Metropolitan Procuratorate). Although they showed off their power back then,
But now there is nothing, so based on my principle of "three highlights in writing" (explanation of terms: highlighting the main bad guys among the bad guys, highlighting the best bad guys among the main bad guys, and highlighting the extremely bad bad guys among the best bad guys), in
Among them, only Yan Shifan, Zhao Wenhua and Yan Maoqing were selected to appear, with Zhao Wenhua playing a supporting role and Yan Maoqing playing a minor role.
But it was such a coincidence that even though Yan Longtiao had already left the show, he got another chance to be on camera, all thanks to Hai Rui.
What a coincidence. At that time, a small figure like Hai Rui had contact with several big brother-level celebrities in the court. He offended Governor Hu and then Yushi Yan.
In the 39th year of Jiajing (1560), Yan Maoqing was appointed by the emperor to inspect the salt administration throughout the country. We have already introduced Brother Yan's character, but you can't find anything outstanding even with a flashlight. Everywhere he goes, he eats, drinks, whores and gambles.
He dabbles in everything and needs to be reimbursed by the local government, so that's it. However, he has to be a bitch, and he also has to build archways and send official documents everywhere, saying that he has always been frugal, so the local reception work should not be too extravagant and should be strict with economy.
Just eating, drinking, and wandering all the way, Mr. Yan arrived in Zhejiang and was going to pass by Chun'an. Hai Rui didn't want to receive him, and he didn't have the money to do so. He hoped he could take a detour, but Mr. Yan is an imperial envoy after all, so you have to set up roadblocks to prevent him from passing.
, it seems unreasonable.
So Mr. Hai used his brains and solved the problem with another letter.
This letter is very strange. It begins with Yan Maoqing's own announcement and praises him greatly, saying that you are indeed a model of honest officials and admires you as much as the torrential river, etc. Then suddenly he changes his tone and begins to complain:
However, I have also heard some rumors that you receive very luxurious receptions wherever you go. We are a poor county here. According to that standard, we cannot afford to receive you, and it goes against your original intention. But what if... then...
Wouldn’t we have offended you, Your Excellency?
I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I don't know what to do, so I have to ask you for advice and give me a way out.
This was like poking a hornet's nest, and Yan Maoqing's nose was so angry that he was crooked, but he was an old Jianghu after all. He sent someone to check out Hai Rui's background and found that this guy was not willing to take hard and soft measures. Hu Zongxian also suffered losses, so the imperial envoy
The adults gritted their teeth and took a detour!
Hai Rui won again, but also laid the foundation for disaster, because not everyone has Hu Zongxian's style.
fearless
Of course, in addition to working hard and living a frugal life, Mr. Hai sometimes indulges in luxury. For example, once, on his mother’s birthday, County Magistrate Hai decided to go out to buy two kilograms of meat. When he walked into the vegetable market, he couldn’t congratulate him.
, when we stopped in front of a meat stall, there was a deathly silence, and everyone stared at this amazing scene.
Everyone knows that County Magistrate Hai is a loyal supporter of the natural economy. He eats and grows his own vegetables and is completely self-sufficient. Let alone buying vegetables, he does not sell the vegetables he grows and engage in market competition.
Even if it is a good deed.
However, he bought two kilograms of meat. When he paid the money, took the meat and walked away without saying a word, the people present were convinced that they had just seen a real scene.
The butcher was so excited that he couldn't suppress his inner impulse, and he looked up to the sky and screamed:
“I never thought that I would be able to do business as a Shanghai county magistrate in this life!”
Magistrate Hai County actually bought meat!
In that era when there were no telephones and it took several days to send a letter, Magistrate Hai's feat spread across the country at an alarming speed. The prefect knew about it, the governor knew about it, and soon, Hu Zongxian also knew about it.
Therefore, at a government affairs meeting held later, after Governor Hu spoke at length about the anti-Japanese situation, his expression suddenly changed and he informed everyone of the news with an extremely mysterious expression.
Everyone was shocked. Magistrate Hai County actually bought meat!
Seems ridiculous, doesn't it?
I don't think so.
Three years have passed. Under Hai Rui's governance, the living standards of the people in Chun'an have continued to improve, but the living standards of the officials have continued to decline. However, they cannot afford to offend this living king of hell, so they can only work hard. But
As the end of the year approaches, the sighing officials suddenly change their appearance, and their faces that used to be filled with worries begin to bloom with yearning smiles.
This has nothing to do with year-end bonuses. You should know that when you work under the King of Hell, you basically don't expect anything like this. What really makes them ecstatic is a piece of gossip - the King of Hell is about to be promoted.
The official system of the Ming Dynasty stipulates that all local officials will be evaluated by the superior department every three years and graded according to the standards of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. If they are inferior, they will be given a demerit warning and may have to go home and plant sweet potatoes;
, you can be promoted.
Hai Rui is undoubtedly the best. No matter what others think of him, his work is impeccable. This is a timely rain for the officials of Chun'an County. They began to actively prepare for the farewell ceremony: Farewell
Mr. Hai, no matter where you go, as long as you are not here, I wish you a safe journey.
Just when everyone was immersed in preparations with infinite longing for the future, the exact news came down. It was not a heavy rain to relieve the heat, but a thunder on the ground. After an assessment by the officials, it was determined that Hai Rui was excellent and should be promoted to facilitate work.
, decided to promote him on the spot to the general magistrate of Jiaxing Prefecture and take office immediately.
It’s over, it’s completely over, and now the whole Jiaxing area is in a state of shock: You Chun’an County is not just unlucky, but you still want to cause trouble?
Chun'an's example is right in front of us. Action must be taken, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!
Jiaxing officials immediately started an emergency mobilization, and everyone went home to check their family trees. Whether they were three aunts, six wives, seven sisters or eight aunts, those who had eaten, met, or nodded, as long as they were individuals and related, they all went there.
Look, be sure to drive Hai Rui away.
Soon, Hai Rui was impeached for the first time in his life. The impeacher was the Supervisory Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Considering Comrade Yan Maoqing's position and his conduct (the left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate), it is not difficult for us to
Guessing the secret, as for the charge of impeachment, it is really an insignificant matter.
It should be said that this is a good start, because it means that Hai Rui already has considerable influence. If your reputation is not great, the devil will scold you.
But the consequences were still extremely serious. Hai Rui lost his position as general judge and received a second transfer order from the Ministry of Civil Affairs - to be appointed magistrate of Xingguo County in Jiangxi Province.
Xingguo is a poor place, and being transferred there seems to be a kind of assignment, so it seems that this is a reasonable result, but this is not the case.
According to Yan Maoqing's previous predictions, under his instruction to impeach, a person like Hai Rui with no background or connections would not only be unable to be promoted, but would also be dismissed and investigated. But he never expected that although this person was not promoted, he would also be dismissed.
He kept his official position. Years of political experience told him that there must be something famous about it, so even though he was surprised, he did not dare to cause trouble to Hai Rui again.
Yan Maoqing's intuition was correct. Behind the seemingly helpless Hai Rui, there was indeed another person hidden, and he was also a big shot. He was Zhu Heng, who was a scholar in Fujian and is now the Minister of Civil Affairs.
In this world, if there are upright people, there will naturally be people who appreciate integrity, and Zhu Heng is one of them. Others hate Hai Rui, but he admires him very much, so he went against all odds and recommended Hai Rui to his superiors, breaking the rules.
promoted him.
And three years later, he stepped forward again and saved Hai Rui. It was really a fate that was not as good as fate. Mr. Zhu went to the Ministry of Personnel and became a deputy minister.
In this way, Hai Rui went to Xingguo, Jiangxi, and continued to be his county magistrate. Because of Zhu Heng's protection, he survived the first crisis in his life safely. At this time, he was forty-nine years old and still a seventh-rank official.
, it seems to be his fate to retire honorably after serving a few terms.
If someone had told him at this time that in just a few years, he, a little person, would be famous all over the world and become a senior official of the central government, wielding great power, I am afraid that even Mr. Hai himself would not believe it.
However, this is exactly the case. The God of Destiny really takes good care of Mr. Hai. Although he has a wrong personality and low talent, his luck is surprisingly good. Although he later caused more trouble, he still survived the danger and escaped unharmed——
Because of the help of another big shot.
In Hai Rui's view, Xingguo and Chun'an are no different except for their different names. They do whatever they want. Now it is the turn of Xingguo's government servants to suffer. But what is unexpected is that in the past few years of Xingguo, Hai Rui
The county magistrate actually didn't cause any trouble. I guess it was because the place was too poor and no one passed here, so naturally there was no right and wrong.
Just when Magistrate Hai was concentrating on his work, he suddenly received an unexpected transfer order, ordering him to go to Beijing immediately and take up the post of head of the Yunnan Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
At this time, it was the forty-third year of Jiajing (1554), and the three-year assessment period had not yet come. The head of the Yunnan Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs was a sixth-rank official. From local officials to capital officials, from seventh-rank to sixth-rank, everything was inexplicable.
.
Although Hai Rui didn't know, we know that this was naturally the result of the help of Vice Minister Zhu. In this way, County Magistrate Hai became the Chief of Hai. The position changed, the place changed, but the person did not change.
When you are a local magistrate, you dare to go against the governor. According to this standard, if you don't trouble the emperor when you get to the capital, it is simply unjust.
After witnessing the real political shady and corruption with his own eyes, Hai Rui finally couldn't bear it any more and wrote the famous book in the world, using his integrity to denounce the culprit of all this - the emperor.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were many people who criticized the emperor, but only Mr. Hai Rui stood out and became famous throughout the ages. I can only say that it is not a fluke, and it is definitely not a fluke.
Because it is easy to scold someone, but it depends on who you are scolding. Among the dozen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Comrade Jiajing can definitely be ranked in the top three in terms of difficulty in serving. This man is extremely difficult to deal with. Not only is he suspicious, but he is also very difficult to deal with.
To save face, anyone who had scolded him, such as Yang Zui, Yang Jue, Gao Jin and others before, just raised some different opinions and was pulled out and beaten to death or half to death.
A good man never suffers immediate losses. Facts have proved that among public officials, there are still mostly good men. Many people scold just for the sake of scolding, simply to enjoy the pleasure of scolding. In the future, when they retire and go home, they can brag to the old lady next door: I think back then, I was a scolder.
More than an emperor.
Based on this motive, when criticizing people, you have to consider the issue of costs. Comrade Jiajing is too aggressive and he either fights or blocks him. It is better not to do business that is losing money.
Hai Rui just did this loss-making business because there was no concept of cost in his mind. He only knew that he was an official of the imperial court and received a salary from the imperial court, so he should work and do things.
We should make decisions for the people!
It was not that he didn't know the consequences of submitting a memorial, so he bought a coffin in advance. It is said that he picked it himself. He couldn't afford a good coffin, so he could only buy a thin-skinned one that he could lie in and use.
His wife was at home waiting for him to get off work, but when she saw the coffin, she was stunned and burst into tears. However, Hai Rui just said to her calmly:
"Just remember to put me in when the time comes."
If Yang Jisheng is dead, then Hai Rui is probably dead. Although he didn't die on the spot, he couldn't wait for long. You know, a blind man falling off a cliff with his head in a mess is called a mistake; for a noble
Only when he steps into the abyss with his head held high can he be brave. And this coffin is the proof of his courage.
To die without knowing death is to be ignorant; to die knowing to die is to be fearless.