Chapter 16 Butterfly
Yang Mingzhen, whose courtesy name was Tingdong, was from Hejian, Beizhili. To be fair, his talents and courage are indeed extraordinary: after the Shujishi disbanded, he was sent to Fengyang to be a county magistrate, and he did an earth-shattering event when he was just starting out. On a small scale, this incident shocked the government and the public, and more than a hundred members of the royal family were deposed. On a large scale, it really extended the reign of the Zhu Ming Dynasty for decades.
Fengyang is the hometown of Taizu and the land of Longxing, so its status is naturally extraordinary. A prefecture was established in the seventh year of Hongwu, and it belonged to the same government of prefectures and counties. Therefore, Fengyang County can also be called Fengyang Prefecture.
The so-called unified governance of prefectures and counties, to put it bluntly, means adding a prefect above the county magistrate, thus raising the administrative level. In theory, the county magistrate has to report a matter to the magistrate after handling it, but Fengyang County is an area as big as a palm, and there is actually no need except to satisfy the vanity of Taizu, who has a super low self-esteem.
Being a county magistrate here is not a nice job.
The magistrate will not worry about trivial matters in Fengyang County. He only needs to ensure that the big tree next to the tomb of Grandpa Taizu is not struck by lightning, the screen wall of the mountain gate is not destroyed by floods, and the weasels, foxes and rabbits are not placed on which grave. Drilling holes... The issue of Feng Shui and dragon veins is a top priority that will affect generations to come. Others, receive the courtesy of civil and military officials who are passing by on official business - Grandpa Taizu stipulated that as long as the officials are passing through Fengyang on official business, they must go to Yeling Mausoleum. Of course, if you are not passing by on official business, you'd better go and pay homage, otherwise...hehe, you know. Then I would visit the grave on my own during festivals and festivals, which would be considered as the most important task was successfully completed. Of course, Mr. Fu Zun has other important matters, such as Bozhou, Suzhou, Hongxian (today's Si County), Shouzhou, Xuyi (pronounced "Xuyi") and other places, which are all assigned to Fengyang Mansion. Mr. Fu Zun will deal with those Local public affairs are much more proactive. The specific issues of the county, oh, well, that is, Fengyang Mansion are all handed over to the magistrate for handling.
As the saying goes, a magistrate who destroys his family is a magistrate who destroys his family. There is also the theory of "killing the county magistrate", which has a similar meaning. Anyway, as long as he wants to accuse you of being a gangster, your family will be ruined. What's more, if he accuses you of "treason", your whole family will not survive! This describes the great power of officials and the inviolability of official authority.
Since ancient times, imperial power has not been sent to the countryside. The Holy Emperor of the Great Heavenly Dynasty only managed the administration down to the county magistrate level. From below, it was necessary to rely on the gentry class and clan power to maintain the scattered rural social order at the grassroots level. In other words, the county magistrate , is the end of the greatest power in the world of ordinary people, so it is also called "one parent" - got into trouble? Dad is responsible for spanking, and your stomach is growling with hunger? Mother is responsible for feeding gruel. Both of these responsibilities must be shouldered by the county magistrate, who is called a parent official.
"Parent Officer" is an elegant nickname in the officialdom, but it is not called that among the people. Think about it, sometimes it is inevitable for parents and even grandparents to accuse their sons and grandsons of disobedience and unfilial piety. Grandparents, grandson, father and son kneel side by side, kowtow to the hall and shout "Parents" at the same time. It is inevitable that the seniority will be confused and made a joke, so the people simply gave it away. A supreme and invincible title: County Grandpa - No matter what your seniority is, I am still your great-grandfather! Is there anyone more authoritative than great-grandfather? Be obedient.
This is a common phenomenon with few exceptions.
Almost none does not mean absolutely none - the exception is Yang Mingzhen, the magistrate of Fengyang County.
Yang Mingzhen was a little shy when he came to take over at first. When I first got involved in officialdom, I always felt that I had taken away the job of the previous magistrate, which was really a bit embarrassing. Unexpectedly, the person who handed over the seal, Mr. Yan Zhiqing, was so happy that he almost hugged and kissed him when he saw his enthusiasm! Dragging him around the treasury without touching the ground, he completed the inventory and handover at almost the speed of light and disappeared. When Yang Mingzhen remembered that he was bidding farewell to the capital, a friend said - and friends also heard from others - that the new official wanted to ask the squire to make some umbrellas for his predecessor, and asked Li Zheng to inform every household to hang up mirrors and put out bowls of water in the street (take the (meaning as clear as water and as bright as a mirror), and when they were organizing traditional rituals such as holding a sedan chair and picking off boots, the class leader Gu Ayi told him with a smirk on his face: Don’t bother, Mr. Yan and his family are already here. Arrived in Linhuai! Hearing this, Yang Mingzhen couldn't help but sigh with emotion: I didn't expect Master Yan to be so honest and selfless, regardless of fame and fortune!
When Yang Mingzhen saw the piles of old case files, his emotion turned into confusion, and he couldn't figure it out: Integrity and selflessness should be connected with hard work. Why is there something wrong with this situation? Could it be that while Master Yan is indifferent to fame and wealth, he is also a bit lazy? Is this following the example of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest?
So Yang County rolled up his sleeves and started to read the files, and he felt more and more strange: In most cases, the merits are easy to judge, and some of them are also easy to deal with. It is just a matter of two or three sentences plus five or six ping-pong swings of a few boards. Mr. Yan Why not deal with it? After being pointed out one by one by the county magistrate, the chief registrar and Gu Ayi, Yang Mingzhen gradually understood: Mr. Yan is not lazy at all, and he does not care about fame and fortune. He is simply a slippery man who doesn't care about anything!
Fengyang County is the hometown of Taizu, and there are many relatives of the Zhu family who have turned seven or eight corners. When Taizu was wandering around begging for food with a broken bowl, although none of this group of people could be seen, once they got to Dabao, three aunts, four aunts, five uncles, and six uncles would pop up like dog urine after the rain. ——Don’t look at the colorful patches on the shabby clothes fluttering in the wind, and the various looks with sinister eyebrows and ratty eyes. They are all relatives of the emperor!
Everyone on earth knows about Taizu’s nouveau riche mentality: The Ming Dynasty belongs to my old Zhu family! The surname Zhu is the surname of the country, and all the land in Xie Ma Ma must be offered to me! Over the past one or two hundred years, this group of guys has become a trend. Relying on the identity brought out from the mother's womb, the magistrates have to give in, let alone the seventh-grade magistrate. Nobles who have fallen from power in the court, eunuchs who have fallen out of favor, etc., knowing that they have no way to make a comeback, often request to guard the imperial mausoleum. Each has their own little calculation: some are loyal to the saint to save their lives, and some are announcing their withdrawal in disguise. The party fights for old age, and some want to hold back for a while and wait for the opportunity to make a comeback... Although it is untenable in the court, a skinny camel is always bigger than a horse. These people have many friends in the capital, regardless of each one of them. Living in a small and broken place like Fengyang, everyone still has to give him three points! This is the second one.
——Master Yan did not dare to care about the direct or indirect conflicts and disputes between them, and he could not care about them. When he went to the magistrate, he just said: "You and I are the ones who eat the emperor's salary, and we should deal with it impartially!" Therefore, he always adopts the dragging tactics. , dragged a thunderous one, greased the soles of his feet, and disappeared without a trace.
Yang Mingzhen, who has just entered the officialdom, is not from a noble family. His father is just a scholar. Xiao Yang can be regarded as a typical representative of the lucky people among the grassroots class who "live in the farmhouse and ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening". During his years in the Hanlin Academy, the various small circles of aristocratic families had little contact with their grassroots small circles - like Li Yuting, no one had ever privately taught him any rules of the game or experience in officialdom. His mind was filled with the lofty ambitions written in the sages' books about self-denial, prudence, independence and loyalty to the emperor and the country.
But his life is still better than that of Luo Yonghao - Lao Luo, oh, that's wrong, it was still Ronaldinho back then, and his brain is much more flexible than that of classmate Xiao Yang, but the teacher's party caused trouble and offended people who shouldn't be offended. The best outcome is to go to jail, to be dismissed from office, to serve as an official and go home, so Ronaldinho was kicked to Shenmu County to drink from the northwest wind. Every time the "big plan" was forgotten, and no one paid attention to him for many years, it was natural. . Xiao Yang, who had no backing but no one wanted to kill him, enthusiastically went to Fengyang County, the Ningbo lard glutinous rice balls that were cold on the outside and hot on the inside (the sweet potatoes had not yet been introduced from Nanyang at that time, so Xiao Yang I didn’t know there was such a thing as a hot potato) I took a bite...
To be honest, after Yang Mingzhen had figured out most of the dangerous situation in Fengyang Mansion, he felt timid. In his mind, he had to compromise or insist on the two forces fighting each other. On the one hand, the education he received since he was a child, especially the name his father gave him, reminded him all the time to be steadfast in his ethics. On the other hand, his reason also told him that there is indeed a line between reality and the principles written by sages. A gap that is understood but cannot be expressed.
Zhen is a kind of hardwood, often used as piles for earth walls. The word "Tingdong" represents the father's expectations. The "names" and "characters" of the ancients were not randomly chosen. There needs to be some connection between the two - otherwise, a discerning person would be able to tell at a glance that the "name" and "character" were randomly added. At least the person who gave the name had little education.
For example:
Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande. "Bei" means "thorough and complete", and the "virtue" in the "zi" echoes the "bei" in the name; Zhang Fei, the character Yide - "Yi", echoes the "fly"; Guan Yu, whose courtesy name is Yunchang - "Yun (Sky)" echoes "(Zhen) Yu"; Yue Fei, whose courtesy name is Peng Ju - "Peng" of course means "fly"...
After the Song Dynasty, more emphasis was placed on it. Generally, the names of people who have studied in school are mostly two characters. In addition to being able to clearly understand their seniority in the clan, they can also take into account the meaning and allegorical expectations. Most of those with one-character names are from military generals or ordinary people - they don't have so many bad habits.
The title is also particular. Under normal circumstances, "name" cannot be called casually, unless it is a very strict and formal occasion where a superior is talking to a subordinate. For example, if you pass the imperial examination, you can call him by his first name when the official announces it; another example is when announcing a crime or dismissal from office. When peers are talking to each other, or when a superior is friendly to a subordinate, they must use "zi" to address them.
Example.
"Yang Mingzhen, do you know your guilt?" I need to use my first name here.
"Brother Tingdong is so elegant!" Here, you need to use words to address peers.
"Tingdong, I have something to tell you." The elders here express cordiality and use words.
Let's put it this way, even if there is a life-and-death fight, you should not call people by their names: "Cao Cao, you and I are incompatible with each other." Such words must not be said. Anyone who speaks like this is uneducated and will lose his status; on the contrary, " There is nothing wrong with saying "Cao thief watches the sword", "Cao Mengde, you are a coward!" This is also a decent scolding (cao means conduct, and the word "de" behind it has a corresponding relationship).
When talking to superiors, they cannot address each other by name, let alone words. They must add the honorific title: "Yang Yizai (the honorific title of the county magistrate) has an order...", well, this is the master's tone, "Mr. Yang asked me to pass a message to everyone... "As soon as you hear it, you will know that this is a normal saying among the class leaders.
You can also use the place of birth or place of origin to refer to: "Are you referring to Yang Hejian?" Of course, using place names to refer to people is more neutral, and is mainly used by people with relatively distant relationships. Such proportionality can indicate inner intimacy, or it can also be derogatory. For example, Li Hongzhang in later generations was called Li Hefei by many people, and Yuan Shikai was called Yuan Xiangcheng.
Back to business.
Yang Mingzhen, the new magistrate of Fengyang County, was in a dilemma between man and nature. One incident completely changed his life and the current situation of the Ming Dynasty.
A butterfly flapped its wings, triggering a huge storm thousands of miles away that swept through China.
