In the study room in the front hall of Shen University's residence, Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were sitting as guest and host.
They didn't just meet each other, there had been a "tea tasting" in the flower hall with a group of important figures from the Xin School in Beijing as well as their disciples and two pavilion elders, and the party had just ended not long ago.
Of course, the tea party is not really about tea tasting, but no matter what the party is, one thing is the same: a meeting with many people is not important, and an important meeting with not many people is important.
So now, the location of the "meeting" has been changed from the flower hall to the study room, and the number of participants has been greatly reduced to only two people. It is almost a meeting between secretaries. However, the two of them did not get into the topic immediately. Instead, they chatted a few words and did not know what riddles they were playing.
It wasn't until half the stick of incense was burned that Wang Xijue frowned slightly and said with a hint of displeasure: "Director Zhang is so slow."
"Today is different from the past." Shen Shixing waved his hand and said: "After the two divisions of the Beijing Camp, the power of the Royal Horse Prison declined greatly. He was in charge of the Royal Horse Prison at that time, and it seemed that he had all the power for a while, but in fact, the gold and jade were lost in the outside world. But this is not the case now, Huang Mengyu is the one who has the honor and the palm of Chen Ju, but he has obtained the Dongchang... The Dongchang is a key point, and the admiral of the Dongchang has always been the easiest to gain power."
Wang Xijue pondered and said: "In terms of this matter, Chen Ju is worthy of his name and is quite well-behaved. But now it is Factory Supervisor Zhang..."
Shen Shixing smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter. If he wants to gain power, just let him do it first. His biggest opponent in gaining power is not us, but Gao Rixin."
Wang Xijue snorted softly, curled his lips and said, "But I wonder what Gao Rixin is thinking about now?"
While they were talking, the housekeeper suddenly came to report that a noble person from the palace had arrived. Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue looked at each other and said, "Please."
Then the two stood up at the same time in perfect agreement. Seeing that the other party did the same, they couldn't help but smile at each other, but there was obviously something magical in their smiles.
Zhang Cheng arrived soon, but he did not change into casual clothes at this moment. Instead, he was wearing a bright red silk python suit, and he looked very energetic. Seeing that Shen Yuanfu and Wangge Lao had already stood up to greet him, he couldn't help but feel proud. He cupped his hands and said with a smile: "It's our family's fault that I've been waiting for you for so long. But this time, it's not our family's fault. It's because we were about to leave the palace." I was suddenly summoned by the Emperor before... Haha."
Shen Shixing's heart moved, he slightly returned the salute, and asked seemingly casually: "The factory governor is your majesty's confidant, and it is really admirable to be inseparable from him at such a moment... But I don't know what else the emperor has to do with you this night." The factory supervisor told me?"
"It's not that important." Zhang Cheng said with a smile: "The emperor came to our family and asked in a confused way: Do you know Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty?"
Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were moved at the same time. They looked at each other and asked in unison: "What did the factory supervisor say?"
Zhang Cheng laughed and said: "Our family was also taught by Jinshi (referring to Nei Shutang), how can we not know about Emperor Guangwu? Of course we know it."
Shen Shixing nodded and said with a smile: "Then what did the emperor say next?"
Zhang Cheng didn't look as calm as before this time. He coughed lightly and said, "The Emperor asked: Do you know why Emperor Guangwu didn't kill the heroes, but killed three prime ministers?"
Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were shocked and looked at each other again. Then Wang Xijue took the initiative and asked, "How should the factory supervisor answer?"
Zhang Cheng smiled bitterly and said: "To be honest, our family really doesn't know about the emperor's problem, so we have to make a pretense and say, 'I'm just a slave, how can I know the emperor's thoughts, but the emperor's question is really difficult. A slave.'"
Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue cursed in their hearts at the same time: What a slippery loach!
However, the secret curses were secret curses, and they both had to admit that Zhang Cheng's answer was very smart. However, in this way, they had to judge by themselves why the emperor suddenly asked this question.
Shen Shixing smiled and asked Zhang Cheng to take a seat, and then pretended to talk to himself and said, "What is the purpose of the emperor suddenly asking such a question?"
Zhang Cheng frowned and said: "We are also thinking of asking our two husbands for advice." The "Xiangong" here is the honorific title of the prime minister, because Shen Shixing is the chief minister, and it is generally not good to just say "ge Lao", and Wang Xijue is only the last minister. , so if it is obvious that "two pavilion elders" are unfair to Shen Shixing, and "two chief assistants" are naturally even more impossible, we have to say "two ministers".
Wang Xijue said: "Does the factory supervisor know what the emperor meant when he said Emperor Guangwu killed three prime ministers?"
Zhang Cheng was actually not serious about studying. Wang Xijue's question was a bit revealing, but he couldn't show it at the moment. He could only say in a low voice: "Our family can't remember clearly at the moment."
Wang Xijue had known this for a long time, so he smiled slightly and said: "In the first month of the fifteenth year of Jianwu's reign in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu dismissed Han Xin from the post of Chief Situ. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prime minister was renamed Chief Situ, but although Han Xin was a civil servant, he was actually Those with military exploits were granted the title of Marquis of Fuyang. However, on his way back to his hometown after being dismissed from his post, he received an edict from the emperor and was forced to commit suicide along with his son.
As for why he was sentenced to death, it is said that it was because during a court meeting, Emperor Guangwu was reading letters from Kai Xiao and Gongsun Shu. Han Xin suddenly said: "All kings who have subjugated their countries are talented, and Jie and Zhou are also talented." Liu Xiu was furious and 'thought it was exciting'. Later, Han Xin also testified that he would be hungry and hungry at the end of the year. He pointed at the sky and painted the earth, and spoke very harshly. He was eventually dismissed from his official post by Emperor Guangwu. However, even so, Emperor Guangwu still felt that he could not let go, so he sent people to catch up with him and kill him. "
Zhang Cheng frowned and said, "Then why does the emperor mention this matter?"
Wang Xijue did not answer, but said: "The factory supervisor might as well hear the cause of death of the next two people."
"Okay, okay, Mr. Wang Ge, please speak."
Wang Xijue was not polite and continued: "After Han Xin's death, the great Confucian Ouyang She was named the Great Situ. Ouyang She was the master of Confucianism at that time. The "Book of Secretaries" was passed down from generation to generation, and his disciples and disciples were all over the world. However, the good times did not last long, and Ouyang She The problem was soon discovered, and "Zang Zang, who was sitting in Runan, was found guilty of more than 10,000 yuan and was imprisoned." It turned out that when Ouyang She was the prefect of Runan, he paid more than 10,000 yuan in illegal land and collected more than 10,000 yuan in dirty money.
When Ouyang She was imprisoned, there was a lot of excitement in front of the palace. Thousands of people gathered every day to petition the emperor to release Teacher Ouyang. Some of them even offered to die for Teacher Ouyang. These students begged in front of the palace gate every day, but in the end Emperor Guangwu still refused to show mercy and Ouyang She still died in prison. At the same time, Yin Zhang and more than ten governors from various counties in Henan Province were all sitting in the fields and did not live up to their expectations. They were also imprisoned and died. "
Zhang Cheng frowned and glanced at Shen Shixing. Seeing Shen Shixing's face was calm, knowing that Wang Xijue was telling the truth, he couldn't help but moved his butt unnaturally and said, "So, where is the third one?"
"After Ouyang She's death, Dai She, the Marquis of Guannei, was granted the title of Grand Situ. Dai She was better off than his two predecessors because he had been prime minister for nearly three years, while the previous two, Han Xin, had been serving for less than two years. Ouyang She had been in prison for nearly ten months. However, three years later, Dai She was finally unavoidable. According to historical records, "Da Situ Dai She was imprisoned for stealing money by the people he recommended." This means that Dai She implicated himself because the people he recommended stole money. , so that in the end he died in prison."
Zhang Cheng said in astonishment: "This guy... Oh, this Chief Situ must have died a little too grievously, right? He certainly has some responsibility for the people he recommended stealing things, but no matter what, for a dignified prime minister, It’s unbelievable that this little thing could lead to death, isn’t it?”
Shen Shixing opened his mouth at this time and said: "The emperor not only asked this half of the question, but also the other half!"
Wang Xijue said with a smile: "Emperor Guangwu did not kill the heroes because he was only forty years old when he ascended the throne and became the emperor. He was in the prime of life, so he did not have to worry about the old ministers getting rich. In addition, his prince Liu Zhuang was very smart. He is also older, so there is no need to worry about the heir being unable to control the government in the future."
When he said this, he suddenly stopped and said no more. Of course Shen Shixing knew the reason for his silence, and even Zhang Cheng came to his senses after being stunned for a moment.
Because of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.
Speaking of which, Zhu Yuanzhang can be regarded as a very individual and characteristic figure in Chinese history. He has an open mind and is able to take the world's heroes into his own hands, and he has the air of a wise king. But on the other hand, he seemed fierce and violent. After the founding of the country, he almost killed all the heroes and generals who had followed him on the battlefield.
In fact, many emperors in ancient China had the experience of massacring heroes, but it was indeed very rare to have such a large scale, large number of people involved, and long duration as the Ming Dynasty.
In March of the eighth year of Hongwu, starting with Zhu Yuanzhang's decree to confer the death of Deqing Marquis Liao Yongzhong, and continuing until his death, the first batch of founding generals of the Ming Dynasty were almost wiped out in rounds of purges.
In people's minds, all the founding generals of the Ming Dynasty who can be named, except for a few who died early, such as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu, etc., most of them have been ruined. There are even many unofficial histories about Xu Da's death. Legend has it that his illness worsened and he died suddenly because Zhu Yuanzhang gave him food.
In short, by the time Emperor Jianwen, the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty, came to the throne, among the first batch of founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, there were only a few survivors such as Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen.
Why did Zhu Yuanzhang do this to the heroes? There has been a theory circulating for many years that Zhu Yuanzhang was petty and jealous, fearing that the heroes and generals who held military power would rebel and usurp imperial power. In fact, this statement is completely influenced by folk literature such as opera storytelling and is inconsistent with historical facts.
In fact, at the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the military management system was drastically reformed, and the five-army governor's office system was established, which controlled each other but did not subordinate each other. The Ministry of War had the power to mobilize troops but not to command them. Without the power to mobilize troops, the entire country's military power was controlled by the emperor alone.
In other words, without Zhu Yuanzhang's military talisman and imperial edict, no military general or the five-army governor's office or the Ministry of War would be able to mobilize a single soldier. The so-called rebellion is pure fantasy, so this statement is simply untenable.
Another common argument is that Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely strict in combating corruption, so most of the heroes had to die because they violated his taboos.
This statement seems to be quite objective, and it is not an unofficial legend. One of the things is this: In June of the 21st year of Hongwu, the sixty-year-old Zhu Yuanzhang issued a collection of edicts to military generals across the country, the "Wu Chen Da Gao".
This "Wu Chen Da Gao" is very strange. It is not as formal as a court official document. Instead, it is written in colloquial language without any polish. It is very clear and easy to understand.
This is because Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that the generals' cultural level was low and they would not be able to understand the sacred meaning written by the Hanlin Academy and would not be able to serve as a propaganda and warning. Therefore, he came up with an ingenious idea, "I said it so straightforwardly, both big and small. You know, both the virtuous and the foolish will be spared.”
So what did he say? In his "Wu Chen Da Gao", Zhu Yuanzhang listed in detail the illegal and criminal acts of thirty-two military generals from various places.
Among them are senior generals such as Chang Yuchun's son and Zheng Guogong Chang Mao, as well as grassroots officers such as Baihu and Qianhu of the local guard station. The criminal behavior includes both overall issues such as interfering with local government affairs, as well as details such as harsh treatment and mutilation of soldiers. There are also economic issues such as embezzlement of military pay and food, as well as style issues such as seizing civilian women, etc., all-encompassing.
It can indeed be seen from this that in the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the situation of heroes and generals relying on their power to do evil and trample national laws and regulations was very common and serious, to the point of appalling.
For example, Yongjia Marquis Zhu Liangzu accepted heavy bribes from local gentry, broke into Panyu County jail in broad daylight, released prisoners, and whipped the county magistrate; Chang Yuchun's son Chang Mao, "greedy for money, kills surrender", drunkenly killed and wounded Beiyuan generals who came to surrender, almost irritating Big changes trigger war...
Various other illegal behaviors, such as "wanton corruption and harming the people", "improper payment of official funds", "private service of soldiers", "raping soldiers' families", etc., have reached the level of shocking and endangering the rule, and have also made The combat effectiveness of the army has been severely reduced, soldiers are disengaged, and public resentment is boiling.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang said in the preface of "Wu Chen Da Gao": "Every morning and evening, I gave endless words of advice." , also said he was not awake" - it was true, because the military officials were still greedy for profit and turned a deaf ear.
So Zhu Yuanzhang said again: "I am very old, I have seen a lot, I have lost a lot of control, and I have suffered a lot since I was a child. I served in the army and suffered with the army. I know these difficulties in detail."
This is of course true. He was born in a poor peasant family and fought his way from the lowest level of an ordinary soldier in the Red Scarf Army to become an emperor step by step. Naturally, he felt the pain and bitter life of the soldiers and civilians at the bottom. Therefore, he repeatedly exhorted the heroes and generals to be considerate of the people, love their soldiers, and abide by the rules and disciplines. His heartfelt words almost made people cry. It's a pity that his hard work failed to awaken these stubborn heroes and generals.
Therefore, many scholars in later generations believed that Zhu Yuanzhang showed his vicious features and went on a killing spree as a last resort.
However, this is probably not true, at least not the core reason why he killed the hero.
When Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the death of Li Shanchang, the founding hero of the country, Prince Zhu Biao, who was always known for his benevolence and won the hearts of both the government and the public, once advised Zhu Yuanzhang: The emperor killed too many people indiscriminately, and I am afraid it will harm the harmony.
To put it bluntly, in the Ming Dynasty at that time, except Zhu Biao, absolutely no other person dared to talk to Zhu Yuanzhang like this.
But Zhu Yuanzhang liked his eldest son very much and had the deepest high hopes, so he did not blame Zhu Biao. But on the next day, Zhu Yuanzhang called Zhu Biao to him, threw a thorn stick covered with spikes on the ground, and asked Zhu Biao to pick it up.
The prince was not a fool, so of course he looked troubled and thought hard about his father's intentions.
At this time Zhu Yuanzhang spoke and said: "I asked you to take the thorn stick, but there are thorns on the thorn stick, and you are afraid of hurting your hand. But if the thorns are removed, you don't have to worry. I said this, don't you still Do you understand my painstaking efforts? I am killing the heroes now to eliminate hidden dangers for you."
Who knew that Zhu Yuanzhang waited too long and Zhu Biao died of illness before him. Zhu Yuanzhang, who always insisted on the importance of rules and regulations, immediately appointed Zhu Biao's son Zhu Yunwen as the emperor's grandson. However, the young Zhu Yunwen had never practiced government affairs. Unlike the prince, he had already had rich experience in governing the country, and he had very deep feelings with his civil and military officials.
Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid that his grandson was too young and lacked prestige and experience to control the world. If something happened, the Ming Dynasty might fall into the hands of others. So he went on a killing spree again, eradicating all potential forces that might endanger the Zhu family dynasty.
How can you comment so easily when it concerns Taizu? So Wang Xijue kept silent, so Shen Shixing seemed not to have heard of it. After Zhang Cheng thought about it, he coughed lightly and changed the topic to the "main topic".
Zhang Cheng said: "Your Majesty is at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period. I'm afraid this sentence is just a casual mention, or it just coincides with the first half of the sentence and has no other meaning?"
Wang Xijue glanced at him and said calmly: "Is there a heir apparent in the Ming Dynasty today?"
Zhang Cheng was suddenly startled, looked at Wang Xijue, swallowed, and asked, "What do you think Wang Ge did?"
"As a minister, how dare I guess your Majesty's thoughts?" Although Wang Xijue said this, he took a sip from the teacup and said, "By the way, the third prince is not yet four years old, right?"
Shen Shixing muttered: "I am fifty-six this year, so I don't think I will be able to assist the future Crown Prince."
Wang Xijue smiled and said, "I am ashamed to say that I am one year older than Yuan Fu."
Zhang Cheng didn't react for a moment and wondered: "What kind of riddle are you two husbands playing?"
Shen Shixing smiled and said: "Judging from the age, if we say that among the important ministers in the court today who may be able to assist the crown prince in the future, I am afraid that Gao Rixin is the only one."
Zhang Cheng finally understood and suddenly said: "Oh, our family knows it! If the prince is young in the future, only Gao Rixin can take care of his life, so... if anyone can endanger the prince, only Gao Rixin It’s getting better every day!”
Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue looked at each other, but then said thoughtfully: "However, the emperor mentioned 'killing the three prime ministers', but the issue is a bit... vague."
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Apodes", "Cao Mianzi", "Yue Xiaoyao", and "Chi Yujing Fengchen" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!
