Wei Zhongxian, courtesy name Wanwu, was born in Suning, North Zhili.
His original name was Li Jinzhong. After he became a driver and eunuch with a pen, the emperor gave him the name Wei Zhongxian.
Wei Zhongxian's family was poor when he was young. He lived on the streets and was illiterate, but he knew archery and horse riding. He liked gambling and was obsessed with wine and sex.
Wei Zhongxian often gambles with a group of evil teenagers.
Once, after he lost a lot in gambling, he felt very distressed, so he committed suicide from the palace and changed his name to Li Jinzhong.
Because he had been familiar with the eunuchs in the palace for a long time, it was rumored that because of this, his whole body was not cleansed and he still had one testicle.
Later, he changed his surname back to his original name and was named Wei Zhongxian by Emperor Xizong.
It's also ironic to say.
Emperor Xizong Zhu You gave the school the name Wei Zhongxian because Wei Zhongxian was both loyal and virtuous.
He felt that Wei Zhongxian was not only outstanding in ability and virtuous, but also loyal to him and the Ming Dynasty.
That's why he was named Wei Zhongxian.
But he never imagined that he was deceived by Wei Zhongxian's appearance. In fact, the words Wei Zhongxian and Zhongxian had nothing to do with each other.
Wei Zhongxian was elected to the palace during the Wanli period and was subordinate to the eunuch Sun Xian. He entered the Jiaziku by currying favor with him.
He also asked to serve Wang Cairen, the mother of Zhu Youxiao, the eldest son of the emperor at that time, and thereby curry favor with the Wei Dynasty and the Hakka family, and became brothers with the Wei Dynasty.
The Wei Dynasty was the "eunuch of the three dynasties" during the Wanli, Taichang, and Tianqi years of the Ming Dynasty. The eunuch Wang An, the eunuch of the ceremonial department, had a certain say in the eunuchs of the inner palace.
He repeatedly praised Wei Zhongxian and even recommended Wei Zhongxian to Wang An, the eunuch who was responsible for the ceremony.
Therefore, Wang An, the eunuch and eunuch who was in charge of etiquette at that time, also took a high look at Wei Zhongxian.
In addition, Wei Zhongxian is already very tactful, and being good at flattery and flattery can be said to be his specialty.
Therefore, the eunuch Wang An, the eunuch Wang An, the eunuch Bingbi, also had a very good impression of Wei Zhongxian.
As for the Hakka family, it's even more remarkable.
Although the wet nurse of Xi Zong Zhu Youxiao of the Hakka family was said to be a wet nurse, Xizong Zhu Youxiao's feelings for this wet nurse, the Hakka family, were somewhat unusual.
Not only does he have great trust in Hakka, but he is also extremely favored.
With the Hakka family constantly speaking good words in front of Xizong Zhu Youxiao, and with the Wei Dynasty defending in front of the driver and eunuch Wang An.
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian quickly entered the core of power in the harem. For a while, he was the most popular among the eunuchs in the harem, and his status continued to soar.
Until he sat in the position of Eunuch Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
Wei Zhongxian is illiterate and cannot read a single big character.
Logically speaking, he was not qualified to enter the Bureau of Ceremonies, but Xizong made this exception for Wei Zhongxian.
Wei Zhongxian, who was illiterate and illiterate, was allowed to enter the ceremonial department.
Maybe many people don't know the significance of the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch who is responsible for the ceremony.
Here I will briefly introduce the eunuch system of the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, it was not easy to become a eunuch.
The so-called eunuch is the leader of the eunuchs, and not everyone is qualified to be called a eunuch.
There were many levels of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. When they first entered the palace, they could only serve as pawnbrokers, long followers, and royal servants.
If you perform well, you can be promoted to the rank of eunuch. The rank of eunuch is then promoted to the rank of young eunuch. The immediate boss of the minor eunuch is a well-known eunuch.
It's not like in the TV series, as long as you take that knife, you will be a eunuch!
In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs had specialized agencies, with a total of twenty-four yamen.
There are twelve prisons respectively: Si Lijian, Neiguanjian, Yuyongjian, Sishejian, Yumajian, Shengongjian, Shangshanjian, Shangbaojian, Yinshoujian, Zhidianjian, Shangyijian and Duzhijian. Prison.
The four divisions: Xixin, Bells and Drums, Baochao, and Huntang.
Eight rounds: military battles, silver work, clothing, scarves and hats, needlework, internal weaving and dyeing, wine and vinegar noodles, Siyuan.
Only its highest-ranking eunuch can be called a eunuch.
Each of these twenty-four yamen has its own division of labor. It not only handles palace affairs, but also handles some government affairs.
Among them, the ceremonial supervisor and the royal horse supervisor have the greatest power.
Almost all the famous eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty came from the ceremonial eunuchs and the imperial horse eunuchs.
Wang Zhen in the Yingzong period, Wang Zhi in the Chenghua period, Liu Jin in the Wuzong period, Feng Bao in the Wanli period, Wei Zhongxian in the Xizong period, etc.
These great eunuchs all came from the ceremonial eunuchs and the royal horse eunuchs.
The Director of Ceremonies is responsible for the internal and external chapters.
The emperor gave the power of voting to the cabinet and retained the power of approving the red.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, because there were too many documents, Zhu Zhanji did not have time to read them all, so he asked the person in charge of the ceremony to copy them according to the draft content, and exercise the power of approving red documents on his behalf.
This person who ghostwrote for the emperor had a special title-Eunuch Bingbi, the Supervisor of Liturgical Affairs.
But this eunuch Bingbi is not the most powerful eunuch. There is another eunuch above him who controls the seal - the eunuch Si Li and the eunuch holding the seal.
The so-called Royal Horse Supervisor is the person who manages the royal military talismans.
The Royal Horse Supervisor, the Ministry of War and the Governor jointly held the military command, and were actually the "Privy Council" of the inner court.
The Royal Horse Supervisor also managed the pastures and the imperial village, ran the imperial store, and handled finances with the household department, serving as the "internal steward" of the Ming court.
The Si Li Jian and the Yu Ma Jian, one civil and one military, are the two most prominent eunuch departments.
In many dynasties in history, eunuchs interfered with government affairs. In some dynasties, in the later stages, eunuchs even had greater power than the emperor.
They can almost fully control the power of the country.
It is precisely because of the historical vigilance of eunuchs in previous dynasties who interfered with power that in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang explicitly stipulated that eunuchs who interfered with politics should be killed.
But all the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty were heavyweights.
The emergence of this phenomenon is inseparable from Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Zhanji changed the ancestral system that eunuchs were not allowed to read, set up a library in the palace, and ordered academic officials to teach eunuchs how to read.
This led to the group of eunuchs entering the political center and disrupting the political situation of the Ming Dynasty!
Having digressed, let’s talk about Wei Zhongxian again.
After being promoted to Eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, Wei Zhongxian became even more arrogant and domineering.
Because the Hakka family was backing him to bewitch Xi Zong, Wei Zhongxian was safe even though many censors and officials at all levels in the court impeached him.
Even the status is getting higher and higher and the power is getting bigger and bigger.
Later, he took control of Dongchang and directly killed the ministers of the DPRK and China who were at odds with him.
Xizong, on the other hand, was kept in the dark by the Hakka family and ignored all this, which later led to Wei Zhongxian's power in the government and his dictatorship.
An internal military force was also set up in the inner palace, and its number could reach 10,000 at its maximum.
These internal warriors wore armor and swords and went in and out of the palace, wreaking havoc and violence.
Wei Zhongxian and Hakka were so daring as to attack Emperor Xizong's harem.
All the pregnant concubines were murdered by them.
This also resulted in Xizong having no heirs in his life.
Wei Zhongxian not only brought trouble to Chao Gang, but also extended his hands to all levels of government offices and local people.
The people under him and his cronies are all bullies, dominators, and predators.
Under Wei Zhongxian's attack on dissidents, no one in the court gradually dared to stand up and speak out against him.
From the inner palace to the court, Wei Zhongxian completely took charge of internal and external power.
At that time, the power in his hands was even equal to that of the emperor.
Therefore, there is a folk saying that it is nine thousand nine hundred years old.
The world only knows about the 9,000-year-old Wei Zhongxian, but not about the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao.
In this way, the country and people of Ming Dynasty spent ten years of darkness under the clutches of Wei Zhongxian.
All this changed after the death of Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao.
At the beginning of the death of Emperor Zhu Youxiao of Tianqi, Wei Zhongxian did have the idea of ascending to the throne himself.
But he was always just a eunuch and a eunuch.
Even if he has tremendous power in his hands, it was given by the royal family of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty.
Once Wei Zhongxian dares to conspire against him, everyone in the world will attack him.
And the forces behind Zhu Youxiao's first wife, Queen Zhang, would not agree.
The vassal kings from various places will probably take the opportunity to cause chaos.
Under Queen Zhang's righteous words, Wei Zhongxian wisely gave up the idea.
In accordance with Emperor Tianqi's last edict, King Xin Zhu Youjian was brought into the palace to take over the throne.
When Zhu Youjian was still King Xin, the situation inside and outside the Ming Dynasty was treacherous.
Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch who was close to Zhu Youxiao, united with the Qi, Chu, Zhejiang and other cronies in the DPRK to defeat the Donglin Party and take control of the government.
The entire Ming Dynasty became Wei Zhongxian's one-word hall, completely controlled by Wei Zhongxian.
The outside of the Ming Dynasty faced the threat of the rise of the Later Jin Dynasty.
Although Hou Jin was blocked from advancing westward by Yuan Chonghuan in Ningyuan, the border defense was still tight.
In the southwest, the She'an Rebellion broke out, and it can be said that there are many bases in the suburbs.
Although Zhu Youjian was a vassal king and therefore could not participate in political affairs, he had to be careful to protect himself.
At that time, he was just a vassal king with no real power. He was no match for the powerful and powerful Wei Zhongxian.
Moreover, Wei Zhongxian continued to obstruct the meeting between Zhu Youjian and Zhu Youxiao.
As Zhu Youxiao's younger brother, Zhu Youjian cannot see him more than once or twice a year.
Even if we finally met him, we could hardly speak to him.
All this was caused by Wei Zhongxian's secret obstruction.
Wei Zhongxian even secretly planned to attack Zhu Youjian, and he almost got involved in Wei Zhongxian's conspiracy.
Wei Zhongxian knew that Zhu Youjian was not interested in him, and some of his crimes were noticed by Zhu Youjian.
And Zhu Youjian is a vassal king. Once he gains power, he may liquidate Wei Zhongxian.
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian had long listed Zhu Youjian as a threat to him.
As long as possible, Wei Zhongxian will attack Zhu Youjian directly.
However, Zhu Youjian was a vassal king after all, a direct descendant of the Zhu family royal family of the Ming Dynasty.
He was also the younger brother of the current emperor Zhu Youxiao, so in the end Wei Zhongxian gave up the idea of attacking Zhu Youjian.
When Zhu Youjian was still King Xin, he had already experienced Wei Zhongxian's methods and witnessed Wei Zhongxian's lawlessness.
Although Zhu Youjian saw all this, there was nothing he could do.
At that time, he was just an idle prince with no real power.
Facing Wei Zhongxian, who was backed by Emperor Tianqi, he had no choice.
He could only silently remember Wei Zhongxian's crimes in his heart, and even secretly wrote down Wei Zhongxian's accomplices.
The purpose is to be able to liquidate Wei Zhongxian one day and give the Ming Dynasty a bright future.
Give the people of Ming Dynasty a clear sky and white sun.
Fortunately, this day finally came to him.
It was the day Emperor Tianqi passed away.
After the death of Emperor Tianqi, he ushered in the day when he would sit on the throne.
The first thing Zhu Youjian wanted to do after taking the throne was to eradicate Wei Zhongxian and his eunuch group.
However, Wei Zhongxian has been in the court for many years and has many party members.
The relationship is so intertwined that it is constantly being cut and messed up.
Therefore, Zhu Youjian did not attack Wei Zhongxian immediately.
Because he knew that Wei Zhongxian was deeply rooted in the court and the palace, and his spies and cronies were everywhere.
When dealing with Wei Zhongxian, we cannot act hastily.
Therefore, Zhu Youjian still rewarded Wei Zhongxian and his party members who deserved rewards as usual, and granted officials to those who deserved them.
But the more Zhu Youjian behaves like this, the more uneasy Wei Zhongxian feels.
Because Wei Zhongxian knew Zhu Youjian's attitude towards him very well. He knew that Zhu Youjian didn't like him, and could even be said to hate him.
Now that Zhu Youjian has become the emperor, he will definitely not have any good fruits of his own.
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian is constantly testing Zhu Youjian's attitude. If Zhu Youjian comes up and is eager to attack him, then Wei Zhongxian will definitely not sit still and wait for death.
After all, Zhu Youjian had just ascended the throne and his wings were not yet full.
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian repeatedly asked Zhu Youjian to resign and resigned from official positions such as admiral of Dongchang.
But Zhu Youjian didn't agree.
Not only did they not agree, but they also generously rewarded Wei Zhongxian's eunuch group.
It seems that he respects and relies on Wei Zhongxian very much.
As a result, Wei Zhongxian's vigilance gradually relaxed.
Just when Wei Zhongxian was slacking off, censors and feudal officials from various places continued to submit memorials to impeach Wei Zhongxian's eunuch group.
The first to fall was Cui Chengxiu, one of the Five Tigers of the Eunuch Party.
After Cui Chengxiu fell, Zhu Youjian felt confident.
Wei Zhongxian finally noticed the uneasiness, but it was too late.
Because Zhu Youjian had already secured the throne and had the support of the courtiers.
And the forces he cultivated in the palace and the court have been slowly disintegrated.
Wei Zhongxian knew that Zhu Youjian would definitely not let him go, and he would definitely not be able to escape this disaster.
as expected.
Just when Wei Zhongxian was uneasy, he waited for the memorial to impeach him.
This impeachment doesn't matter, what matters is that the charges of impeachment are all crimes aimed at punishing the nine tribes.
There are ten such crimes in total, all of which are fatal.
No matter which one it is, it will lead to Wei Zhongxian's death.
After Zhu Youjian received the memorial to impeach Wei Zhongxian, he was very moved.
He had long wanted to eradicate Wei Zhongxian, but he was afraid that Wei Zhongxian's dying struggle would cause unnecessary turmoil.
So, let’s take Cui Chengxiu first.
Cui Chengxiu was captured without any surprise and without any noise.
So it was time for Wei Zhongxian to have an operation, but Zhu Youjian never found a quick knife.
And this memorial to impeach Wei Zhongxian is the sharp knife that Zhu Youjian has been waiting for.
Any one of the ten crimes listed above is extremely sharp and can directly and completely nail Wei Zhongxian to death without any possibility of turning over.
After seeing this memorial, Zhu Youjian ordered people to summon Wei Zhongxian to Fengtian Palace, and asked the chamberlain to read out the ten deadly sins directly in front of Wei Zhongxian and all officials.
(End of chapter)
