In the first year of Jingtai, it was an era when all kinds of "Zhuge Kongming" were popular, and every force liked to play with fire and attack.
As for why Zhu Qiyu was so sure that Gongyuan would catch fire?
That's because Gongyuan can really catch fire, and it can really burn people to death.
The imperial physician's "wrong prescription" killed the emperor, and the Hegongyuan's "accidental fire" burned the candidates to death. These are all things that go against common sense. Many people think that these things are impossible to happen.
And people of later generations always like to use the experience of the Qing Dynasty to infer the historical facts of the Ming Dynasty, thinking that what could not happen in the Qing Dynasty will definitely not happen in the Ming Dynasty.
However, our Ming Dynasty has its own national conditions.
The Gongyuan of the Ming Dynasty will definitely catch fire, and it will definitely burn people to death. This has to mention our great Tianshun Emperor Zhu Qizhen.
'Wuchen in February of the seventh year of Tianshun.
That day, there was a strong wind, and there was a fire in the examination hall in the evening. Many people died. The next day, the Ministry of Rites heard about it and ordered that the examination be rescheduled in August. '
This is not unofficial history, this is "Records of Ming Yingzong".
'On the fifth day of the second lunar month, there was an examination of the imperial examinations, and fire was carried out in the Gongyuan. The imperial censor Jiao Xian destroyed the gates and burned and killed more than ninety of the imperial examinations. '--"History of Ming Dynasty".
Juren, that is a high-level scholar who is already qualified to be an official.
In the seventh year of Tianshun's reign, there should have been about 1,500 candidates participating in the examination, but more than 90 were burned to death in one fire.
Well, yes, the civil servants definitely didn't mean it.
Zhu Qizhen imprisoned officials such as Zhi Gong Ju and Supervisor.
Then the operation of this great emperor is really amazing:
The officials who supervised the examinations were neither tried nor punished, and were "reinstated".
This is the unique national situation of our Ming Dynasty. More than ninety officials were burned to death, and no one was responsible for this.
Not to mention beheadings and demotions, not even a single official was fined.
If this had been left in the Qing Dynasty, the officials involved would have been beheaded more than ninety times.
But in Ming Dynasty, magical realism was performed so vividly.
However, this is not the end, there is more magic behind:
The Ministry of Rites believed that the fire was caused by the narrowness of the examination courtyard, and asked to find another place in the city to set up the examination courtyard.
Zhu Qizhen ordered the Ministry of Industry to discuss the matter.
Huo Xuan, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, Xue Yuan, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, and others gave suggestions and wrote a letter requesting that the Anrenfang pasture should be turned into a trial courtyard.
The answer given by Zhu Qizhen was: It is still possible to test the courtyard, but it is not suitable to be good at changing the grassland of the Ministry of Finance.
So Huo Xuan and others were ordered to confess their crimes.
At the same time, the Sixth Section impeached Huo Xuan and Xue Yuan.
In the end, Huo Xuan, Xue Yuan and their subordinates, Lang and Zhongguan, were all imprisoned.
The reality is such a fantasy. The invigilators involved were released from prison and returned to their posts; the officials who proposed to relocate the Gongyuan to eliminate safety hazards ended up in jail.
Zhu Qiyu was puzzled by Zhu Qizhen's confusing operation: Could it be that some indescribable imperial tricks were involved? Could it be that Zhu Qizhen is on the fifth level of Machiavellianism, while I am only on the first level?
That's more than ninety people who died. If you don't kill any of them, will others still respect you as the emperor in the future?
The fact is that less than a year after the fire, Zhu Qizhen received the four-piece set of Da Mingzi: Shang Buyu, Shang Bu Shi Chao, Shang Da Jian, and Shang Beng.
Thinking of this, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help shaking his head and smiling bitterly. It was really difficult to be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Hey, it’s better to enjoy yourself in time.
Zhu Qiyu ordered his three beloved concubines to lie down on the jade bed side by side, and then they did something indescribable.
…
The emperor was enjoying himself in his room, while Wang Tong, Wang Cong, Zhao Xuan, Shu Liang, Lu Gao, Lu Zhong, Wang Chun, Zhao Jing and others stayed at the armor factory on the south side of Gongyuan to drink from the northwest wind.
Everyone stared with big eyes and small eyes, confused and helpless.
Liu Jing and Menda, who were still Jin Yiwei, were more Buddhist, so they gave up this so-called opportunity to make meritorious deeds and went home to sleep with their concubines in their arms.
Lu Gao, Lu Zhong, Wang Chun, and Zhao Jing were the more ambitious members of the Jinyi Guards. They all came here early, waiting to catch the thief.
Zhu Qiyu had previously issued an edict that the three eunuchs, Bingbi of the ceremonial department and the eunuch of the imperial horse department, could favor two family members to become one hundred households of Jinyiwei.
Now the most senior eunuch, Bingbi Wang Jin, has chosen his adopted son Wang Chun and his family member Zhao Jing to serve as one hundred households.
Chengshan Hou Wang Tong, his son Wang Cong, and two thousand disaster preparedness sergeants from Tiance Guard were the main force fighting the fire today.
The four leaders of Jinyiwei are the main force in catching the arsonists.
As the commander of the Yingzhou Central Guard, Zhao Xuan supervises here on behalf of the emperor.
Shu Liang, as the Superintendent of Ceremonies and Supervisor of the East Factory, was responsible for central coordination.
Anyway, everyone is performing their duties, waiting for the Gongyuan to burst into flames.
However, among the people present, only Wang Chun and Lu Gao firmly believed in Zhu Qiyu. Since the emperor said that the Gongyuan would be on fire tonight, it would definitely catch on fire.
The remaining people are either dubious like Wang Tong, Zhao Xuan, Shu Liang, and Lu Zhong, or they simply think that the emperor is playing tricks like Wang Cong and Zhao Jing.
The fewer people who have contact with Zhu Qiyu, the more they feel that Zhu Qiyu is playing tricks.
Everyone was drinking strong tea to refresh themselves while looking at each other in a daze.
Among these people, Shuliang is the most popular and has the most extensive contacts. So Zhao Jing was at a loss for words and took the lead in talking to him: "Duke Gong, do you think the Gongyuan will really catch fire tonight?"
Although Shu Liang himself was dubious about the Gongyuan fire, he definitely wanted to safeguard the emperor's authority, so he replied with a smile:
"Your Majesty is a born saint, with the Constitution of Heaven in his mouth. Since he said that Gongyuan will be on fire tonight, it will definitely catch fire.
Brothers, please work harder tonight. Your Majesty has ordered that not even half of the candidates will be injured, let alone any arsonist.
Once a fire breaks out in Gongyuan, all people with suspicious behavior will be immediately arrested and put into Jinyiwei prison first. "
Lu Gao replied: "Don't worry, Governor, our spies are guarding the entire Mingshi Square and all the streets. Once a fire breaks out, the entire Mingshi Square will be completely blocked immediately, and not a single fly can fly out."
Lu Zhong also asked: "Governor, what should we do if the arsonist resists?"
Shu Liang emphasized: "Those who are alive must be alive. We have mobilized thousands of people, but if we can't even keep a single person alive, the Holy One will definitely question our ability.
I'm telling the truth, brothers, don't blame me for speaking harshly. The Holy Emperor had doubts about the ability of Jinyiwei, otherwise he would not have transferred a large number of Jinyiwei away from Beijing.
If this errand does not go well and the Holy Emperor's patience is completely worn out, the remaining brothers of our Jinyiwei may inevitably be transferred.
The Holy One doesn't mind completely tearing down Jinyiwei and rebuilding it. "
When Lu Gao and Lu Zhong heard this, their expressions froze. Both of them understood that the emperor was serious. Today, there are less than 30,000 imperial guards left in Beijing, including six military craftsmen and thousands of households.
In fact, the number of regular Jin Yiwei is only over 20,000.
Wang Chun and Zhao Jing were completely indifferent to the two hundred households. Even if the emperor completely overthrew the Jin Yiwei and rebuilt them, it would not affect their positions.
A few people chatted for a while until late at night.
Just when everyone was beginning to feel confused, Wang Tong's personal soldiers came in urgently and reported: "Master Marquis, there is a fire in the Gongyuan."
(End of chapter)
