[The family will destroy itself 1 A relative takes power]
The accession to the throne of Zhu Youzhen, the last emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty, was full of suspense. There were many doubts, and because of his lack of prestige, it was difficult to convince the public. In response, Zhu Youzhen could only adopt an attitude of appeasement and appeasement towards the generals outside the imperial court, while within the imperial court he stepped up his efforts to seize power through political struggles.
Zhu Youzhen's throne came from a wrong path. This is his biggest taboo, and this is something everyone knows tacitly. Even his wife Zhang (daughter of Zhang Guiba) was unwilling to acknowledge him.
Zhu Youzhen planned to make Zhang the queen, but Zhang said that you didn't have "anything to do in the southern suburbs" and couldn't be considered a serious emperor. How could I just be the queen?
Before Zhu Youzhen died, Mrs. Zhang was already seriously ill, so Zhu Youzhen hurriedly made her a virtuous concubine. Virtues Concubine Zhang had a short life. On the night she was canonized as Virtues Concubine, she died due to an illness that failed to treat her illness at the age of 24.
Zhu Youzhen was very sad. On the eve of Concubine De's funeral, Zhu Youzhen tossed and turned, unable to sleep at night. She felt unexplainably uncomfortable all over her body, so she got up and wandered alone in her bedroom, looking up at the bright moon and thinking about her good wife. Suddenly, the sword on the wall of the dragon bed made a faint sound, like a dragon roaring. Zhu Youzhen exclaimed that it was incredible and came closer to take a look. At this time, an assassin suddenly appeared. Zhu Youzhen immediately drew his sword to defend himself and killed the assassin with his own hands. Afterwards, Zhu Youzhen made a sword box with expensive mica, kept the sword in it, and named the sword "Saint Protector General".
The above description also comes from official history and is conclusive. But it sounds more like a martial arts or storytelling novel, which is incredible.
And if you look further down, it may suddenly become clear:
After investigation, it was found that the assassin was sent by Kang Wang Zhu Youzi to carry out the assassination. So Zhu Youzhen killed his younger brother Zhu Youzi on charges of rebellion.
So far, in the five years since the founding of the Later Liang Dynasty, there have been three palace assassinations, one in less than two years on average. Every time it's a mystery.
Zhu Youzhen designed to frame his younger brother Zhu Youzi, perhaps to prevent himself from becoming the second Zhu Yougui. The bloody lesson learned from the past, how he won the throne, only he himself knows best.
He doesn't believe in his brothers and sisters, and he doesn't believe in his meritorious officials, so who does he believe in? Answer: Relatives. The ones he trusts most are his cousin Yuan Xiangxian, brother-in-law Zhao Yan, brother-in-law Zhang Hanlun, Zhang Handing, Zhang Hanjie (the above three brothers are the sons of Zhang Guiba and brothers of De Fei), Zhang Hanqing (son of Zhang Guihou and cousin of De Fei), Zhang Hanrong ( Son of Zhang Guibian, cousin of Concubine De).
In view of Zhu Youzhen's strange inheritance model, the "foreign relatives gang" headed by Zhao and Zhang in the Later Liang Dynasty gradually took control of the real power of the empire. They relied on favors to gain power, sold their official positions, and alienated monarchs and ministers. Internally, they excluded Jingxiang, Li Zhen and others; externally, they alienated Yang Shihou, Liu Wei and others.
Since Zhu Youzhen succeeded to the throne, in addition to Zhu Youzi who was suspected of assassinating the king and killing Jia, there was another person in the clan who really intended to rebel. This was King Hui Zhu Youneng.
Zhu Youneng, son of Zhu Quanyu, was the governor of Chenzhou. Unlike his law-abiding father, Zhu Youneng did many illegal things and gathered a large group of evil villains around him. After two palace coups, Zhu Youneng also felt that he could compete for the throne, and his subordinates also catered to his wishes and actively encouraged him to cause trouble.
All kinds of heresy are prevalent in Chenzhou, and superstition has persisted for a long time. During the "Three Hundred Days in Chenzhou", Brother Zhao Yan took advantage of people's superstitions and directed "Dark Soldiers and Divine Assistance" to strengthen the will of the military and civilians to resist. Today, Zhu Youneng also uses superstition to confuse people's hearts.
Under the secret instruction of Zhu Youneng, a civil society group, led by its leaders Mu Yi and Dong Yi, put on the cloak of Buddhism and created its own sect, named "Shangyang Sect". In fact, looking at their names, I feel more like they are wearing Taoist cloaks.
With the secret support of the government, the "Shangshang Sect" rapidly developed and expanded. It proclaimed the founding of the country and proclaimed itself emperor. Mother Yi and Dong Yi claimed to be emperors, appointed hundreds of civil and military officials, and then expanded externally by force and plundered surrounding counties. But he was soon suppressed by Zhu Youzhen.
After the puppets were eliminated, Zhu Youneng simply stepped from behind the scenes to the stage, launched a rebellion, and led the rebels to attack Bianzhou. Zhu Youzhen sent Huo Yanwei, Wang Yanzhang, and Zhang Hanjie to lead the army to quell the rebellion.
Zhu Youneng was defeated and surrendered. Zhu Youzhen pardoned his death penalty but placed him under house arrest in Bianzhou. Zhu Youneng's two brothers, Zhu Youliang and Zhu Youjie, were implicated and were also placed under house arrest.
In fact, it was Huo Yanwei and Wang Yanzhang who actually led the troops to suppress the rebellion. Zhang Hanjie of the "Relatives Gang" was only responsible for supervising the two and reaping the credit.
Zhu Youzi's assassination and Zhu Youneng's rebellion made Zhu Youzhen even more alienated from the Zhu royal family and increasingly trusting the "foreign relatives gang".
Just like Tang Zhaozong, in order to strengthen the imperial power, Zhu Youzhen also needed to cultivate a political force loyal to the emperor among civil servants. The selection criteria were naturally similar, which can be summarized in two points: shallow foundation; high reputation.
Then, a man named Li Yu came into Zhu Youzhen's sight.
Li Yu was born in an ordinary family that refused to be ordinary. His father Li Zhanye failed in many exams. After being discouraged, he placed all his hopes on the next generation and devoted himself to teaching Li Yu. Li Yu showed extraordinary intelligence at a very young age. Under his father's strict instruction, Li Yu read poetry and books, and had a noble character, free from vulgar tastes (not saying anything inappropriate and acting meticulously).
In his early years, he was forced to make a living and worked as the bookkeeper in Anling County, responsible for helping the county magistrate organize documents and files. This was something that the aloof and talented Li Yu was unwilling to accept. Therefore, after Ding You resigned, Li Yu resolutely embarked on the road to Chang'an, the capital, to become a "Northern drifter".
Fortune has its way with people. Due to the war, the Tang Dynasty did not open any courses to recruit scholars for many years. There is no place for heroes to use their skills. The great talent Li Yu calls the sky and the sky does not respond, and the earth and the earth do not work. The housing prices in the capital were too expensive and the consumption was too high. Li Yu could not afford it, so he had no choice but to move to the suburbs, then the suburbs, and then the suburbs... and finally settled in Hezhong and Huazhou. "Beijing Drifting" finally became "Hebei Drifting".
He only hoped that the war would be settled soon and that the imperial court would start recruiting scholars as soon as possible, so that he could change his destiny with knowledge.
Soon after, the eunuch Liu Jishu launched the "Shaoyangyuan Coup" and imprisoned Emperor Zhaozong. Li Yu, who was upright and cynical, was heartbroken when he heard about it. Regardless of his hierarchy, he wrote a letter directly to Han Jian, the highest military and political officer in the region, the military governor of Huazhou Town. Build a military and diligent king, capture and kill eunuchs.
Li Yu's advice to Han Jian to send troops has been mentioned above. Han Jian is inextricably linked with the Kansai Group and the eunuch Liu Jishu, which is something that Li Yu, who is a scholar and businessman, cannot see and understand. Li Yu is indeed a talented and knowledgeable senior intellectual, but he does not understand politics.
Although Han Jian did not adopt Li Yu's suggestion, he admired this intellectual very much, so he gave Li Yu very generous treatment, hoping that he could be his adviser.
Although Li Yu was impoverished, he was so angry at being a scholar that he would never give up for five buckets of rice. He flatly rejected Han Jian's high-paying offer and left Huazhou angrily.
Later, there was the "Siege of Fengxiang", when Zhu Wen and Li Maozhen fought for Zhaozong in Fengxiang. At that time, Li Yu fled to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to avoid the war, and then went to the home of Li Yangu (grandson of Li Deyu). A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. After all, Li Yangu is Li Deyu's grandson. Although he has been squeezed out of politics long ago, Li Yangu is still guarding a luxurious villa owned by Li Deyu in Pingquan. Another widely questioned and controversial incident will occur in this villa in the future, which will be mentioned later.
Li Yu was a scholar with integrity. He was unwilling to eat and drink for free, and he was unwilling to accept the food that came to him. He and his children worked hard for Li Yangu's family every day, acting as coolies (the children personally picked the vines and paid wages to feed them day and night, and they did not even try to work. people).
Soon after, the imperial court finally opened a subject in Luoyang, the eastern capital, to recruit scholars, and Li Yu went happily. Hard work paid off, and Li Yu ascended to the throne in one fell swoop, and went to Henan Prefecture to join the army. The salted fish turns over and the golden phoenix flies out of the chicken coop. Li Yu finally got rid of his wandering and became an official national civil servant that everyone envied.
The future is bright!
Fortune plays tricks on people.
Zhu Wen won the "Siege of Fengxiang", successfully recaptured Zhaozong, and quickly moved the capital to force Tang to surrender. During this period, Liu Can and others actively catered to Zhu Wen and carried out political purges, and Li Yangu was demoted as a result. Being implicated by Li Yangu, Li Yu lost his official position and was forced to move to the Heshuo area, where he lived with Li Yanguang, a member of the same clan. The cruel and dark reality caused great trauma to Li Yu's pure and innocent heart.
After Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, Li Yanguang was recommended to give lectures in the palace for his outstanding talent (it was forbidden for ministers to give lectures), and he came into contact with Zhu Youzhen. Later, Li Yanguang tried his best to praise Li Yu's talent and learning in front of Zhu Youzhen, and emphasized that Li Yu was not only outstanding in talent and learning, but also of noble character, similar to Shi Yu and Qu Yuan (same as "Qu Yuan").
Shi Yu, a Weiguo official in the Spring and Autumn Period, was upright and upright, and left the allusion of "corpse admonishment". Confucius praised him and forwarded the comment: "Straight Shi Yu!" The founder of the steel straight man world;
Qu Yuan, a great official of the Wei Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period, a moral model and a friend of Confucius, ranked first in the east veranda of the Confucius Temple.
Using Shi Yu and Zang Yuan to describe him shows Li Yu's character.
With Li Yanguang trying his best to make peace, Zhu Youzhen finally summoned Li Yu, a legendary moral model, a pure and anti-vulgar talent who was free from vulgar taste.
Zhu Youzhen was very satisfied with the results of the interview, and immediately promoted Li Yu to Zuo Shiyi. Although the official was not a big one, he went directly to the central government. Soon after, Li Yu was promoted and eventually entered the Chongzheng Yuan (formerly the Privy Council) and became the deputy of Li Zhen and others.
At this point, we can easily see that Li Yu meets Zhu Youzhen's employment standards in all aspects: he comes from a humble background, does not come from a famous family, does not have the blessing of a high-ranking family, has no foundation, no background, and no backing in the court, and has a clean foundation. "Products; young people with the "Four Haves" who are knowledgeable, moral, ideal, and ambitious to build a harmonious society.
Li Yu is the political vase Zhu Youzhen is looking for.
But even such a harmless Li Yu was ostracized and dismissed from the court because of a trivial matter.
What happened was this: One day, King Heng Zhu Youliang entered the court. Li Zhen and others hurriedly stood up and knelt down to pay their respects. Only Li Yu stood up straight and made a long bow.
Zhu Youzhen scolded Li Yu for being rude.
Li Yu was neither humble nor arrogant, and asked: "Excuse me, Your Majesty, what am I rude to you?"
The dignified emperor was actually contradicted in person. Zhu Youzhen was very unhappy and said: "Prince Heng is my elder brother. Even I have to bow to you. Li Zhen, the envoy of the Chongzhengyuan, your immediate superior, must also bow to you respectfully. You Why are you so arrogant and rude?"
Li Yu's integrity was vividly demonstrated. He was not afraid of power and argued with the emperor: "Your Majesty pays homage to King Heng. It is a family gift. Li Zhen and others are your Majesty's personal ministers. And I live in the court, I am a national official, and I have nothing to do with Heng." I have no personal relationship with Wang, nor do I have to bow down to him in public or private matters. I am not a flatterer!"
"Be bold!"
Zhu Youzhen tore off the hypocritical mask of Corporal Li Xian. Just because Li Yu refused to kneel down and worship Zhu Youliang, Zhu Youzhen demoted him and sent him to Dengzhou.
