When the late Emperor Hongzhi was dying, he left three ministers to Emperor Zhengde to take care of his life. They were Xie Qian, Liu Jian, and Li Dongyang. They all joined the cabinet at the same time and were still bachelors. All three of them are well-educated and honest officials, and can be described as role models in officialdom. Xie and Liu are upright and upright, while Li Dongyang has a gentle temperament in comparison.
The appearance of the three people caused a commotion among the officials. They stood up one after another and crowded forward. However, one person stepped out and said with a smile: "My lords, don't crowd, don't crowd. The three elders and the emperor have been talking sincerely for a long time. For the time being, Let the three pavilion elders have a rest. Let's talk about the current situation!" It was Eunuch Zhuang. Everyone listened and stopped talking. They only listened to Eunuch Zhuang's words: "The late emperor left the three pavilion elders and all your lords behind. In running the affairs of the court, he still followed the old path of the late emperor. The chief minister of rites, Wang Gonggong, tried his best to cooperate with the adults, hoping that the Ming Dynasty would last forever. Although the current emperor is young, he is wise and intelligent. Liu Jin and others are known as the Eight Tigers of Zhengde. , acted perversely, as a person close to the emperor, he should have led the emperor on the right path, but instead he used some ingenuity to lure the emperor to eat, drink and have fun. He canceled the sutra banquet early, canceled the morning court, and proposed to build a leopard house and restore the west factory. Just imagine, if the Ming Dynasty were controlled by these people, wouldn’t it be chaos in the world?”
Everyone nodded and listened to what Zhuang Gong said: "The Ming Dynasty left by Emperor Taizu must not fall into our hands. Therefore, Mr. Han Wenhan, the Minister of Household Affairs, took the lead in writing a letter demanding severe punishment for the Eight Tigers of Zhengde. The three cabinet elders Even more, Eunuch Wang Yue couldn't stand the behavior of these people, and he repeatedly exposed their crimes to the emperor. The emperor woke up and decided to deal with the matter. He also issued an order to let them all return to the capital. Now, they all Kneel before the emperor to accept the crime! Just wait until tomorrow morning, and the emperor will issue an imperial edict to deal with them!" Everyone applauded, and some people said: "These people have been with the emperor for many years and are powerful, how can they be punished so easily?"
Eunuch Zhuang glanced at the man and said displeasedly: "Who do we think we are? It turns out to be Mr. Jiao Fangjiao, the head of the Ministry of Personnel. Yes, these people do have some influence, but there is a saying that in the whole world, it is the king who leads the country. On the shore of the soil, could it be the king's ministers? The tricks of ghosts and clowns are the same as that of clowns, and they can't achieve anything big. What's more, our family has made arrangements. The Zhenfu Division and Dongchang are already in our hands, and we are more than enough to deal with them!"
My heart tightened. It seems that the Eight Tigers have been imprisoned. Aren't we in danger? I couldn't help but take a look at Liao Jianzhong. He looked calm as usual. After Xie Qian waited for Eunuch Zhuang to speak, he cleared his throat and said loudly: "My lords, Mr. Liu Ge and Mr. Li Ge and I met with the Emperor to adhere to Emperor Taizu's instructions and expose the evil deeds of the Eight Tigers. Your Majesty Holy Ming, the court will issue an edict tomorrow morning to remove the Eight Tigers from their posts and hand them over to the Ministry of Punishment, where they will be tried by the three courts and punished in accordance with the law!"
Everyone applauded in unison, shouting "Emperor's Holy Ming" repeatedly, and some even said loudly: "The Eight Tigers' crimes are so heinous that they all deserve to be punished!" The crowd was excited for a while, and then calmed down. Xie Qian looked back at Li Dongyang and Li Dongyang, and said : "According to my wishes, the canon punishment is directly stated, but what Mr. Li Ge said is right, follow the Ming law! Eunuch Zhuang just said that it has been arranged, so everyone will go back for the time being and wait for tomorrow morning to go to court with us. , obey the emperor's will!" Then he smiled confidently and said: "Everyone, keep your hearts in your stomach, Liu Jin and his like will fall tomorrow!"
Everyone laughed, but Li Dongyang was a little preoccupied. These people left one after another. When some people left, they did not forget to scold Ji Maotong a few words, and some even pushed people. Ji Maotong listened in embarrassment, but did not dare. When Li Dongyang heard the objection, he frowned and said: "This matter has nothing to do with Jin Yiwei. Let's disperse quickly. We have to go to court tomorrow morning!" Everyone dispersed, and soon Liubu Street became quiet.
None of us spoke. I could tell that everyone was very disappointed. Maybe Xie Qian's words had discouraged everyone. Yes, the ministers insisted on moving the Eight Tigers, and the emperor had already agreed, but we went in the opposite direction, just like Mr. Ma If so, we would be jumping into a pit of fire!
After a long time, Liao Jianzhong sighed softly and said: "I don't know how many people are there tonight, it's hard to sleep! Let's go into the palace!" Ji Maotong saw us, came over in a hurry, and said with a sad face, "Brother!" Liao Jianzhong raised his hand to signal him not to let him go. Then he asked, "Write down the names of all the officials who came here!" Ji Maotong nodded. Liao Jianzhong looked back at us and said, "You also wrote down the names of the Jin Yiwei brothers who entered the palace tonight. They He will be a hero of the Ming Dynasty!" Ji Maotong nodded repeatedly. Liao Jianzhong took a deep breath and said: "We will enter the palace immediately. If any brother wants to leave, I will never stop him. Tonight, he may fail in success, or he may die in righteousness!"
I immediately thought of the incident that took place during the reign of Emperor Yingzong. That night, many people like me came here in ignorance! No one spoke or moved. After a long time, Hua Shichun suddenly pulled out his sword and said: "A man is very resolute in his actions. Since he is willing to leave the Imperial Guard, he dares to enter this palace. Brother Liao, don't worry. Who dares to betray you?" I'll kill him first!"
Everyone suddenly realized it and shouted: "Listen to brother, enter the palace!" Liao Jianzhong stopped talking and walked directly in front, heading straight to the palace hall!
The palace was quiet, except that there were many more people in Jinyiweiyiluansi, and many people from Dongchang appeared in front of us from time to time. Liao Jianzhong just waved his waistband and walked through unimpeded. We passed the Huangji Gate, and Lin Sheng suddenly came over and said, "You have kept us waiting for a long time!" Liao Jianzhong whispered a few words to him. Lin Sheng looked at us and raised his voice: "The palace is as stable as Mount Tai, and the capital is as stable as Mount Tai. Even more solid!" His words were obviously meant to encourage us. Thinking that he had always been resourceful and with Liao Jianzhong by his side, I felt my heart surge and responded: "We are too, solid as a rock!" As soon as the words came out, Suddenly feeling reckless, the others said in unison: "As solid as gold, as solid as rock!" Lin Sheng and Liao Jianzhong nodded and were about to enter the building. Liao Jianzhong said: "I will only take Zhang Ying in, you guys wait here. Be more alert. , keep in touch with people outside the palace!" Hua Shichun and others nodded knowingly.
Lin Sheng led Liao Jianzhong and me inside. The closer we went inside, the tighter the guards became. These people were all from Dongchang. Some had familiar faces, while others were unfamiliar. Later I learned that they were all from Jinyiwei. , they and Liao Jianzhong can be described as brothers. Suddenly I found that my hands and feet were trembling, so I quickly took a deep breath. Lin Sheng heard this and said in a low voice: "Don't be afraid. All the adults and father-in-law are inside. It will be peaceful tonight!" Liao Jianzhong said: "Zhang Ying is still young and has not experienced too many things, so she will get better gradually!"
We finally arrived at the Huangji Hall, which was brightly lit. At the entrance of the hall, Shi Yi, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, personally led more than a dozen people to guard it. However, these people seemed uneasy but did not dare to make a sound. There was someone shadowy in the corner of the hall. , Lin Sheng made a quiet gesture to them, walked straight to Qian Cai, and asked in a low voice: "How is it inside?" Shi Yidao: "We are talking!"
At this moment, a man who looked like a civil servant suddenly came over and said: "We must persuade the emperor, otherwise we will die without a burial place!" This man was Jiao Fang who just spoke, but he did not leave. Although I was surprised, seeing that he was familiar with everyone, I understood that this person was in the same group as us. Later, I learned that when hundreds of officials signed a letter asking the emperor to deal with the Eight Tigers, he naturally wanted to sign it. He was born with a clever mind and knew the excerpts by heart. He secretly made a copy and gave it to Liu Jin when he could find an opportunity. Today, all the officials gathered to meet the emperor. When he was about to leave the court, he secretly stayed behind, waiting for an opportunity to hide in the palace and not come out.
Shi Yi said impatiently: "You didn't tell the father-in-law earlier that the decree was about to be issued, and you just told the whole story. If the emperor didn't approve, wouldn't you have missed a major event?" Jiao Fang said: "Three pavilions The old man pulled me to sign. I originally wanted to tell my father-in-law the news by being on duty in the palace, but I didn’t expect that the ceremonial supervisor, the king’s father-in-law, was under very strict supervision. If the elder and him had not gone to the palace to answer the question, I would have never been able to get close to my father-in-law. . Fortunately, I told my father-in-law, so he can have a few hours to get back to the emperor."
Then he let out a long sigh and said: "Emperor Tianhou Tu, please keep us safe and sound!" Shi Yi smiled and said: "You, coward, even if you didn't say it, our Jin Yiwei had already figured it out. Eunuch Liu has a foresighted plan and will definitely succeed. !”
Lin Sheng interrupted their conversation and asked, "Who is there?" Shi Yida said, "Your Majesty, there are eight other father-in-laws! There is no one else."
Lin Sheng nodded, waved to us, and we tiptoed into the hall.
