"Master Qiansui, I am really unjust! What kind of eunuch is I? I am a disciple of Mr. Jing Yi (Gao Panlong), a fellow villager of Mr. Fuqiu (Zuo Guangdou), and I have always been registered in Donglin. In "Donglin Point" It was nicknamed "No Block" in "General Record". It was just in the fourth year of Tianqi, when the replacement was in question, there was an internal dispute in Donglin. Mr. Jingyi and Mr. Fuqiu each held their own opinions... I should have The officials were all given to those who were in trouble, but Mr. Jing Yi and Zhao Mengbai (Zhao Nanxing) asked me to supplement the engineering. After filling up the civil service department, I was dismissed as an eunuch and had to abandon my official post less than a month after taking office.
Later, it was Wei Ni's suggestion that he let me become Taichang Shaoqing. I had no choice but to take this position, but I resigned after not working for a long time. I really didn’t do any evil! Later, Wei Ni was defeated, and the minister submitted a memorial to remove all the officials who had attached to Wei Ni and Wang An (Da Ju, who had taken power four years before the Apocalypse). I have completely offended the officials of the Donglin Party and were included in the counter-criminal case..."
The person who was talking about his grievances in the Baimen Pavilion was a very elegant, white-faced old scholar, who looked to be in his fifties but not yet sixty years old. With a sad look on his face, tears came down as he spoke...
This guy is Ruan Dacheng, the "anti-Qing literary and art worker" in Zhu Cixiang's mind, and he was also a traitor in history!
However, the thirty years before he became a traitor did lead a somewhat aggrieved life. He was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Wanli. He became a minister in the early years of Tianqi, and he was also recognized as a general of Donglin. If he hadn't been involved in the internal strife in Donglin, he would be a gentleman respected by everyone now.
But his official career turned into a nightmare step by step due to the infighting in Donglin and later Wei Zhongxian's intervention.
Zhu Cixiang listened to Ruan Dacheng's explanation of how he became an eunuch, and asked with a smile: "Ruan Dacheng, tell me the truth... are there real eunuchs or not?"
"This..." Ruan Dacheng couldn't answer for a while, and just looked at Zhu Cixi blankly.
What does the prince's question mean?
He himself has "created" so many eunuchs, and now he still asks if there are any? Is there any chance that he wouldn't know?
"Tell the truth!" Zhu Cixi said warmly, "I know this, but I want to hear you tell the truth!"
"Reporting to Master Qian Sui," Ruan Dacheng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "A notorious eunuch like me is careful to draw a clear line with the eunuch. Do you think there are any real eunuchs?"
"Haha." Zhu Cixi smiled, noncommittal.
Ruan Dacheng added: "Of course there are officials who take the path of eunuchs in order to gain employment... When Wei eunuch was most proud, there were many officials who ostensibly relied on him. But were these officials really eunuchs? The party is deeply suspicious."
"hehe......"
Ruan Dacheng glanced at the expressionless Crown Prince and sighed: "Actually, everyone knew during the Tianqi years that behind Wei Ni was actually the late emperor, the so-called eunuch party. It might be more appropriate to say that they were the imperial party. But they It is difficult for people to be called a party, because they only want to be officials and have no successors.
If not for this, how could the officials who were attached to Wei Ni fall apart so quickly after the late emperor passed away? This Wei Ni... was just a lackey working for the late emperor.
And the name of the eunuch is just a bad name used by the Donglin Party members to smear the Imperial Party officials! "
What he said is also true. Zhu Cixiang had met many "Successors of Donglin", but he had never heard of "Successors of the Eunuch Party". Even in the years when Wei Zhongxian was in power, the so-called eunuchs were all officials, and there were very few scholars and scholars who were studying in the country who would call themselves eunuchs—perhaps none!
In other words, the "Eunuch Party" has no foundation at all and no followers. Dingtian is just a clique of bureaucrats, and it does not have the social influence of the Donglin Party.
If the emperor hadn't supported them, they would have collapsed early...
This is why Zhu Cihong started from Dagukou and tried to usurp the leadership of the Donglin Party step by step without considering leading the Eunuch Party - because there is no Eunuch Party at all! There may be a few officials who collapsed and were labeled as eunuchs, but they did not form a party at all and had no political activities. They all lived in their hometowns.
Therefore, if he wants to usurp the party and seize power, he can only go to Donglin, not the eunuch party.
Zhu Cixiang smiled and nodded: "The gentlemen of Donglin are still smarter... The notoriety of a eunuch is intimidating!
Therefore, I can only be the Prince of Donglin! "
Ruan Dacheng said in his heart: No matter how tall Donglin is, he is not as tall as you... He was almost usurped by you. If your uncle knew how to do this, why would he die at a young age?
"Collect," Zhu Cixiang called Ruan Dacheng's name, "do you want to be registered in Donglin again?"
Of course Ruan Dacheng thought about it...but how could this be so easy? He had spent a lot of money to restore Donglin Party member Zhou Yanru to the prime minister, hoping to return to Donglin. But in the end, it failed because there were too many people in Donglin who opposed it, so Zhou Yanru could only repay his favor by promoting his good friend Ma Shiying.
Zhu Cihong knew Ruan Dacheng's concerns, so he smiled and said: "Jiji, I am not Zhou Yanru. I have a way to firmly control the Donglin Party!"
A Donglin Party firmly controlled by the prince? Ruan Dacheng said in his heart: If this is true, the Donglin Party will be no different from the Eunuch Party...
Zhu Cixiang said: "Ji Zhi, do you know what is the most powerful thing about the Donglin Party?"
"I'm stupid."
Zhu Cixiang glanced at him and said with a smile: "It's bragging, spreading rumors, and slandering! They boasted that they were gentlemen, and spread rumors that the emperor's father was a coward, and even slandered officials with different political views as eunuchs... It's amazing. ! These people know the true meaning of propaganda, Ji Zhi, do you know what the true meaning of propaganda is?"
"I don't know..."
The word propaganda only became popular in modern times. Although it was used before, it did not mean the same thing it did later.
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "That means saying that you are a good person and saying that the enemy is a bad person! And that everyone believes it... There are many means of propaganda, and the gathering of Donglin gentlemen is just one of them. After all, the opera you are good at can also be used for publicity!
Why don't you help me write a few operas that expose the evil deeds of the Tatars, so that the people in the southeast can recognize the true face of the Tatars as soon as possible! When everyone realizes that Tatars are bad people, they will naturally know that you are good people, and then I will be able to make great use of you. "
"This..." Ruan Dacheng thought for a moment and nodded, "Can I write... is it about the Tatars digging the grave of Saint Kong?"
"This is just one of them," Zhu Cihong said, "I also want to write about the Tatars occupying the land of the Han people in Northern Zhili, about the seizure of people's houses in Beijing, and about forcing the Han people in Northern Zhili to become slaves. And drove away hundreds of thousands of people, leaving them all to starve to death!
In addition, we also need to write stories about the massacre of cities and people by the Tatars, the massacre of Liaoyang, the massacre of Shenyang, the massacre of Liaodong, the massacre of Liaoxi, the massacre of Jinzhou, the massacre of Jinan, the massacre of Sanhe, the massacre of Changping...
By the way, I also want to write about how the civil servants who stayed in Beijing and surrendered to the Tatars were humiliated, how they shaved their heads to change their clothes, how they surrendered themselves as slaves, and how they gave their wives and daughters to the Tatar generals and soldiers for lewd humiliation!
In short, we must make the Tatars worse, more evil, and more shameless than the monsters and monsters!
How about it? Ji Zhi, can you write these? Can you write that much?
Hello! Ruan Jizhi! what are you thinking about? "
Ruan Dacheng was obviously frightened by Zhu Cixiang's description. He was stunned for a while. He heard Zhu Cixiang calling loudly, and then he stammered and asked: "Qian, Qian Suiye, are the Tatars really that bad?"
"Of course! The Tatars are the worst..." Zhu Cihong said, "And I have always said one thing and another, and I will never slander others! In a few days, the Tatars will When the delegation arrives in Nanjing, you will know how bad they are!"
"A Tatar mission?" Ruan Dacheng had heard a little about it. "Is it the mission led by Sun Zhixian?"
"Yes!" Zhu Cixiang nodded, "They will come to Nanjing soon! Ask yourself then, and you will know how bad the Tatars are!"
