"Zhuan" said: "Is there anyone who is full of food all day long and has no intention of playing games?" Yan Tan's "New Theory" said: "There is a game of Go in the world, or it is the art of war. The superior one should stay away from the sparse and spread out, and place it in a meeting. If the encirclement is encircled, the victory of the Tao will be achieved; if the encirclement is in the middle, it is necessary to avoid each other and cover the key points, so as to gain convenience, so the outcome is doubtful and must be counted to determine; in the case of the lower encirclement, one should guard the corner and make a bamboo basket in order to survive in the small area. "The land." Since the Spring and Autumn Period, there have been people in each generation, so the way of playing chess has always been good. —
——"Lan Ke Jing"
Many things, when we first face them, we will feel that they are extremely noble, and then we will do them with respect. After a while, we will become accustomed to them, become more comfortable with them, and our mentality will become more peaceful. By the end, we will feel that things were ordinary and ordinary. . The so-called noble is also ordinary. Some people say that this is the performance of a person from childishness to maturity.
We have to come into contact with many people in our lives, ranging from dignitaries, relatives of the emperor, even emperors and great Khans, to common people, farmers, herdsmen, fishermen, woodcutter, beggars, and homeless people. Often we judge people by their appearance and respect official positions. We are reprimanded, teased, and insulted by those who are stronger than us, but the people we often retaliate against in a high-profile manner are those who are inferior to us.
This is what we often do! We are a group of people who stand between power and humbleness. Sometimes we bow and obey, sometimes we are arrogant. Yes, we are the Jinyiwei, a group of people wearing colorful clothes.
I have always believed that I could not be a good person, let alone a qualified guard! I say that I am not a good person because I am a Jinyiwei, and I have done countless wrong things with my hands; and I am not a qualified Jinyiwei, but because I sometimes have kind thoughts and want to be a good person!
Fifteen years of Jin Yiwei's career has brought him various situations in the world, especially the so-called official career. From being ignorant when I was young to starting out, to being at ease when I was in middle age, whether I was in a low status or a high position, I always did things that I had no choice but to do, and I do miss this kind of life, even though I am already tired of it.
When I was young, I felt that I was just an ordinary person. I didn’t have any ambitions. I could make a living in the market by relying on my medical skills. But when I became a royal guard, I was agile, decisive, and well-rounded. The things I had done were something that no one in the world would dare to underestimate. of. So some pride themselves on being the so-called pillars of the country and royal guards.
And I was actually an undercover agent, and a triple undercover agent!
I am a man who once served as the governor of Jinyiwei and the envoy of Fusi Town in Beizhen. In the past fifteen years, the former commanders of Jinyiwei were named Mou Bin, Shi Yi, Qian Cai, and Qian Ning. At the same time, I was also the Admiral of Dongchang. I had been in Dongchang for eleven years, and I was a close confidant of Eunuch Bingbi, Superintendent of Ceremonies, and Eunuch Dayong, the Superintendent of Dongchang Factory!
But my other identity is that I am the adopted son of Eunuch Zhang Yong, the eunuch in charge of the Ceremony Supervisor and the eunuch in charge of the Shenji Camp. As for what the position is, I have never been clear about it. I am always doing something and the salary is good.
Fifteen years ago, I was an ignorant young man. I started out as a military officer in imperial robes, serving as the commander-in-chief, a thousand households, a town governor, a commander, and a governor. I traveled all over the country and handled countless cases with my own hands, including those of the emperor and his countrymen. , important ministers of the imperial court, I will never forget the despair of Anhua King Zhu Zhixiu, nor the despair of Ning King Zhu Chenhao. What is even more unforgettable to me is the despair of ordinary officials. And Liu Jin, the most powerful eunuch during the Zhengde period, his eagle eyes were always open even when he was in Lingchi. Even if they fell into the dust, they were always staring at me, as if they were still saying, "My child, in the future." You will regret it... I have always been puzzled by how Zhengde personally ordered Ling Chi and Liu Jin, but he was crying in the harem...
As for my more important identity, I am the deputy of Zhu Shou, the chief military officer of the Duke of Daming Town, and a sworn brother, Duke Jia, who gave me the surname of the country. We joined hands to defeat the little prince in Yingzhou, and realized the dream of "eating Huns meat when we are hungry, and drinking the blood of Huns when we are laughing." We went to the south of the Yangtze River together, drinking and drinking, almost disturbing half of the country, but we were all sketching the beauty of tomorrow, but , he is thinking about the tomorrow of Ming Dynasty, while I am thinking about myself tomorrow!
Forgot to explain, I am not a eunuch! He is an upright man!
While we were looking forward to the beauty of tomorrow, our great emperor, the thirty-one-year-old Emperor Zhengde, died in the Leopard Room on a sunny afternoon on March 14, the sixteenth year of Zhengde. What this emperor did can be described as deviant and has always made the world laugh and cry. His death made many people breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps the Ming Dynasty will return to the right path. Of course, many people sighed, perhaps worrying about themselves. What is the fate next?
At that time, I had just returned to Beijing from Yangzhou with Guo Zheng and others. To be precise, if it hadn't been for the news that Emperor Zhengde was critically ill, I would not have been able to come back. As sworn brothers, we have shared the same hatred for many years, and our temperaments and temperaments are so familiar that they are almost the same as the same person. This makes us forget the boundaries between monarch and minister, and even dare to fight with each other. Naturally, there will be times when we lose our temper.
It turned out that Wang Shouren, the governor of southern Jiangxi, had put down Prince Ning's rebellion, so the victory document I wrote was rushed 800 miles away to the capital. Zhengde refused to say anything, and happily led a large group of troops, in the name of the mighty general Zhu Shou, to put down the so-called rebellion. At the same time, he also gave me a secret order to release King Ning and let him return. In Nanchang, the mighty general Zhu Shou wants to personally go to quell the rebellion. When we saw the Di newspaper, those of us who had just experienced life and death were stunned. What kind of emperor was this? He was making fun of the world's peace. Wu Wending, the prefect of Ji'an, had already begun to curse, and I explained awkwardly that Zhengde was joking with us. Our days of killing and slashing were too stressful, and he just came to comfort us. Fortunately, Wang Shouren gave all the credit to General Zhu Shou regardless of personal gains and losses, so the army was allowed to linger in Nanjing and did not go to Jiangxi. Most people hope that Zhengde can return to the capital as soon as possible and take charge of the capital. After all, the emperor is away all year round and the hearts of the capital are unstable. And Zhengde seemed to like Jiangnan, so he took me with him, causing trouble everywhere in Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, causing Jiangnan to panic. Zhengde fell into the water in Qingjiangpu and almost lost his life. I was already scared to death. But this guy told me that he would have to pay a price for pacifying Jiangnan. That’s fine, it’s worthy of the name. Finally arrived in Yangzhou, it was already the end of the year, but I wanted to see Qionghua. Qionghua can only bloom in April. If you wait, you need to live in Yangzhou for more than half a year. The Beijing army is from the north, and they want to return home, but the offerings in Yangzhou are gradually lacking. In the long run, it will inevitably cause turmoil.
Many ministers wrote letters urging Zhengde to return to Beijing as soon as possible, but he ignored them all. I was entrusted by Jiang Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, and while drinking with him, I took the opportunity to persuade him to go back. Maybe it was because my words were direct, or maybe because I was drunk, I got ahead of myself and said that the Qionghua was an ominous thing. When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty saw the Qionghua, the world was in chaos, and the Sui Dynasty was destroyed. Could it be that Zhengde also Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty? As soon as these words came out, everyone present was shocked. Zhengde was as angry as a little lion. He threw his wine glass, stared at me with big eyes, ordered me to be relieved of all duties, and then walked away with his sleeves thrown away.
I was even more angry and moved directly out of my residence, no longer living with Zhengde, and returned to Yanbo Villa on the edge of Taihu Lake.
When he sobered up the next day, he learned that Zhengde had led a large group of people to leave Yangzhou and march back to the capital. I am happy and disappointed at the same time. Where should I go?
Before I could think about it for long, Zhengde had already sent someone to convey the order, ordering my official to be reinstated, fined for one year, and temporarily live in Yangzhou to deal with Jiangnan affairs. Haha, it seems that this guy can't live without me and wants to teach me some lessons. Anyway, Jiangnan has been in war for more than half a year and really needs to be rectified. But I am really not good at governance, so I entrust the prefects of various states to recover on their own. If necessary, you can report to me. The prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River quickly became busy, while I lazily led a few Jinyiwei brothers to live in Yanbo Villa on the edge of Taihu Lake. I strolled leisurely by Taihu Lake every day, while Jiang Li and Bai Zhi took care of some business. I temporarily put aside the affairs of the Jinyiwei in the capital and handed it over to Bao Xiaobai, the colleague of the Jinyiwei in the capital. Nanjing Jinyiwei had an intersection with Prince Ning. After much deliberation, I still didn’t send anyone to rectify it. Forget it, how many people can be truly sober in the face of such big things as right and wrong? After experiencing too many life and death tests, I understand that I am still a small person and can't change anything at all. The only thing I can do is to make the people around me live a better life.
Watching the snow falling in winter in the south of the Yangtze River, followed by the warmth of spring and the flowers blooming, in a blink of an eye, the grass grows in March and the orioles fly away. Every day I either go sightseeing, drink tea and play chess. Occasionally I go fishing at the lake. But my hands are itchy for a while, so I use the skill of flying stones to hit birds. But when I hit them, I don't want to kill any living beings. I just let the stones hit the tree trunks. on, causing the people around me to burst into laughter. I understood that I was pretending, deliberately appearing relaxed and at ease in front of everyone, as if I was forgetting the tension of the past. When the rebellion of King Ning was put down, I collected many books, thinking that I would read them when I had time. Unfortunately, I had developed the habit of not reading for many years, and I could no longer calm down and read. I have a lot of properties in the various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. Whether it’s at home or something I’ve acquired over the years, I have to send Jiang Li or Bai Zhi to check on it from time to time. They are both sensible people and often come back to see me. Even though my face is much rounder, But they looked a little depressed, so they tried their best to make me happy. They followed me since they were thirteen or fourteen years old. In the past ten years, they took good care of me. Although I was grateful, my mind was still confused. Far away beyond the Great Wall, as well as in the capital.
Jiang Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, often came to see me. He changed his attitude towards Emperor Zhengde a few months ago and was very polite to me. This prefect is amazing. He dares to face Zhengde's naughtiness and the domineering general Jiang Bin's blackmail. I have helped him several times, so he still treats me differently. It's just that he often comes to visit, which makes me have to do more. I think, apart from the official discussions, the rest is a silent treatment. I find that the greatest advantage of scholars is that they can calm down and read. Governor Jiang has read almost all the books I have here, but talks to me less. I often think that he is asking me to leave. There are some things that are difficult to say when seeing off guests, so I am always attentive in front of you. Maybe for a big man like me, Pan Heng will not leave in Yangzhou, and local officials may also be under pressure.
But I don't want to leave, I have been waiting in my heart. Maybe he is waiting for the call of righteousness, maybe he is waiting for the return of others. I couldn't bear that Governor Jiang, who loved the people like his own son, came to see me, so he asked Guo Zheng to take out one million taels of silver notes, saying that it was a reward from Emperor Zhengde to the people of Yangzhou. He had been causing trouble here for three months, and the people of Yangzhou were suffering terribly. He said that he couldn't bear it after that, so he asked me to take some silver to compensate Yangzhou.
Jiang Taishou was dubious, but he was an open-minded person. He accepted the silver coins generously and began to arrange various expenditures, such as building roads and bridges, providing relief to the people, etc. I listened to him talk a lot, and found out that the silver coins Not enough. Seeing him looking at me eagerly, I laughed and asked Guo Zheng to give him another five hundred thousand taels. Governor Jiang smiled brightly and thanked him repeatedly. I smiled and said, if I stay in Yangzhou, I am afraid that I will be ruined.
Although the joke was easy to tell, it turned out to be true. News that Emperor Zhengde was critically ill finally came. It was a beautiful and sunny day. It was rare that Governor Jiang did not bother me, so I led Guo Zheng and others, dressed in casual clothes, out of Yanbo Villa and went fishing at Taihu Lake. Unexpectedly, I was very lucky today and caught a few big fish. I looked at the spring scenery of Taihu Lake and felt proud of myself. I don't know when, not far away, there were several Jiangnan literati who were traveling by the lake. Maybe they were happy, so they danced and made a lot of noise. I didn't mind, I just looked up and Guo Zheng asked his men to drive those scholars away.
Unexpectedly, these scholars actually contradicted the captain, saying that Taihu Lake belonged to everyone and everyone could visit it. I heard them making a lot of noise, and I became interested for a moment, so I asked these people to come over. They were frail scholars, dressed very ordinary. Guo Zheng reported my name. The scholars were a little nervous and saluted one after another, saying that they were scholars from Jiangnan. Since they had nothing to do today, they came here to play and did not want to disturb me. I laughed loudly and left them chatting. I asked Guo Zheng to prepare the banquet and left them to drink. The scholars were flattered and reported their names one after another. No wonder Zhao Qian and Sun Li said that the court had put down the rebellion of King Ning, and there would definitely be Enke this year. If you have a chance to win, you must go to the capital to visit me. After a few glasses of wine, the scholars became a little frivolous, saying that it was not easy to study over the years, and some had already participated, but failed. I don’t know how many times I prayed to the Kuixing of Nanjing Gongyuan. In front of Confucius in the Confucian Temple, I also worshiped again and again. The whole family, young and old, all hoped that they would win the exam so that they could stand out. They were so excited that their eyes were filled with tears. I asked them if they knew Wang Shouren. My intention was to make them take Wang Shouren as a role model. However, they only respected Wang Shouren and said that he quelled the rebellion of Prince Ning. Their words were just respect, but they praised another person greatly, that is, Yang Ge The elder's son, Yang Shen, said that he was born in the top 100. He has been a scholar for generations and will definitely achieve great things in the future. He is the humerus of the Ming Dynasty. If you can get to know him, you will be lucky. I am somewhat familiar with Yang Tinghe, but his son is said to be very arrogant and could not stand what Zhengde was doing, so he resigned. I once had the opportunity to meet him in the Yang family, but he would not even meet him. I left without a trace, maybe because I am a minion of Zhengde! I didn't care about this. I just felt that Wang Shouren had made such great contributions, but these scholars were thinking about Yang Shen, and probably wanted to follow Yang Tinghe's path. I felt a chill in my heart, but I still drank with them. I didn't want to drink too much, so I Go to bed early.
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the noise outside. I was shocked. Could it be that the remnants of King Ning's Jiangnan party were causing trouble? I rolled down to the ground and started to go out with my dagger in hand. Jiang Li quickly dressed me, but he held me tightly and said not to go out. Guo Zheng and others were keeping watch outside, so nothing would happen.
I knew in my heart that Jiang Li was afraid that I would be in danger if I went out, but there were noisy footsteps coming from outside. I protected Jiang Li and listened to the footsteps as I arrived at the door. Guo Zheng had already whispered: "My lord, my lord!"
"What's the matter?" I heard Guo Zheng's voice was a little high-pitched, and I couldn't help but feel nervous, "Sir, Mr. Qiao Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of War of Nanjing, is here and is waiting in the living room." A few months ago, Zhengde was stationed in Nanjing, and Zhengde's adopted son Mighty Deputy Jiang Bin, the general and regimental supervisor, asked for the Nanjing city gate key as soon as he saw the Nanjing officials, saying that it was for the safety of Zhengde. Nanjing officials looked at each other in confusion. How could the Nanjing garrison be handed over to others so easily? I don’t know what kind of medicine Jiang Bin was selling in the gourd. He deliberately refused to give it, and he was afraid of the emperor’s adopted son, the famous General Jiang. Qiao Shangshu was also present. He smiled calmly and said: "Jinling is the founder of Emperor Taizu Zhaoji." In order to expand the territory, Emperor Taizong stayed in Beijing for a long time. Emperor Yingzong was promoted to the capital. So far, the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty were under the jurisdiction of the northern and southern Zhili respectively. The people of the southern Zhili had been looking forward to the emperor for many years and finally came here. The people of Nanjing Rejoicing, the whole world is one family, enjoying themselves happily. If the general takes the key to Nanjing, does he want to warn the people of Nanjing, or others? If he warns the people of Nanjing, he is afraid that everyone will feel sad. If he warns others, the general can rest assured, Although Nanjing's defense is not as powerful as the general's, but all the people are in the army, and the emperor's safety is not a problem at all." Jiang Bin was speechless and had to give up.
Because I helped Wang Shouren put down the rebellion of King Ning, I had some contact with Qiao Shangshu, and we cooperated well with each other. I only know that he is very good to the people, but the relationship is not deep. In my heart, I feel that in front of them, scholars, I am just a complete roughneck. Therefore, I rarely speak, even if it is a banquet specially prepared for me, I will say a few words, obviously because I am afraid of making a fool of myself. Therefore, I don’t have many contacts with officials in Nanjing. I didn't expect him to come from Nanjing to see me, so I suddenly felt that something was wrong and hurried to the living room.
The living room was brightly lit, and many soldiers came from Nanjing. They were all wearing bright armor, holding torches and hanging swords on their waists, and lined up on both sides of the door. I felt more and more uneasy in my heart. Could it be that these people are here to arrest me?
