The emperor's chariot was walking on the road to Qianqing Palace. The emperor in the chariot suddenly opened the sedan curtain and asked Chen Ju, who was accompanying him: "Chen Ju, you heard what the Empress Dowager Cisheng said. What do you think of my answer?" ?”
Chen Ju kept walking, but at the same time he bowed slightly, with a bit of fear in his tone, and replied: "Your Majesty is wise, so his answer is naturally excellent. How dare I say anything?"
"Since the 'servant' doesn't dare, what about the 'subordinate'?" Zhu Yijun asked lightly, seemingly not planning to let him go easily.
The status of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty began to improve significantly after the death of Zhu Yuanzhang, especially during the Yongle period. Not only did they gradually gain control of the real power of the inner court, but they also gradually invaded the imperial guards and eventually formed a "factory guard" system. In some cases, there were even some eunuchs who could directly or Indirectly gaining command of the army.
The title changed with the change of status. Therefore, after the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty reached a certain status and grasped a certain amount of power, they had the right to call themselves ministers in front of the emperor, not just as domestic servants. This point is clear from Zheng He's memorial to the emperor.
Of course, Zheng He is somewhat of an exception, but even if Zheng He is not counted, many eunuchs after Yongle were still able to call themselves ministers in a very normal tone, and both the emperor and the officials in the court also recognized this title. . For example, in many imperial edicts and official documents in historical records, the eunuchs guarding various places are called "guarding ministers", and the admiral of Dongchang is called "factory minister", etc. This is clear evidence.
Since he is a minister, he not only has "primary responsibilities" such as taking care of the emperor's daily life, but also has the same responsibility as the officials to assist the emperor and manage the government. Although Chen Ju has been self-effacing for a long time and calls himself a slave, his status is clear, and no matter how you look at it, he can bear the title of "minister".
But after all, eunuchs are still deformed products of the feudal social system. Most people in the world believe that those who are purified have lost their dignity as a human being and their qualifications as husbands. The psychological imbalance can be imagined , so except for a few who are kind-hearted, most of them are scum, a group of bad guys with sores on their heads and thick blood on their feet.
It is not entirely unreasonable to think so. After all, in the highly hierarchical eunuch team, the young eunuch who has just entered the palace still has to serve the senior eunuch with status, serving tea and water, emptying the urinal, even doing laundry, wiping the back, and twisting and massaging the feet. In order to please and gain favor, they speak human words to their faces and lies behind their backs. It is not surprising that their hearts are extremely dark.
There are many people who cheat and deceive each other, turning their hands to make clouds and turning their hands to make rain. These people are used to being as sweet as dense in front of their faces and kicking their feet.
To discuss in detail, although most of the eunuchs in the Qin and Han Dynasties were eunuchs, some scholars were also employed. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs have mostly used eunuchs, not other officials. From then on, eunuchs, the royal family and imperial power became one.
In later generations, the Ming Dynasty often had the label of "eunuchs' exclusive power" affixed to its forehead. As analyzed in the previous article of this book, the so-called "eunuchs' exclusive power" of the Ming Dynasty was far inferior to that of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The eunuchs who established the emperor were as easy as drinking water and eating.
After the Zhongming Dynasty, the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty actually did a lot of self-reflection. For example, Chen Ju was quite disciplined. After being the admiral of Dongchang for so many years, he never did anything to actively suppress civil servants. This is because the eunuchs at this time already had a considerable understanding of their own position, power, fate, etc., and the origin of these understandings probably began with Wang Zhenshi.
Wang Zhen, the eunuch of the orthodox period, was from Yuxian County, Hebei Province. He once studied in his hometown. Wang Zhen entered the palace from his palace and gave the palace officials a letter. At that time, although ordinary young eunuchs also studied in the inner library and were taught by the bachelor Chen Shan, they were much inferior to Wang Zhenlai. Moreover, Wang Zhen had been in the officialdom and had certain social experience. Therefore, other eunuchs could not compare with him in terms of writing and playing power.
When Xuanzong died, Yingzong was still young. After he succeeded to the throne, he was in awe of Wang Zhen and even called him "Mr." Wang Zhen was also very cunning, pretending to be kind and playing tricks of power in order to win the favor of the cabinet minister "San Yang" at that time.
One day, Zhu Qizhen and the young eunuch were playing ball in the palace, and they "stopped when they hit the ball". The next day, when Zhu Qizhen was in the pavilion, Wang Zhen knelt down and said: "The emperor is just a chess piece, and he has misled the world several times. Your Majesty will continue to do his best, just like the country!" He made a look of loyalty, which moved the three people. Yang sighed, "Unexpectedly, among the internal officials, Ning You is a good person." This changed San Yang's view of him.
There is also a legend that one day after Yingzong ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Zhang summoned the British Duke Zhang Fu, the great scholar Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and the minister Hu Hu to the Biandian, and said to Zhu Qizhen: These five people are the "simple men" of the previous dynasty. Those who wish to inform the emperor must make plans accordingly, and it cannot be done without the approval of five people.
Then he came to Wang Zhen and said, "You have served the emperor in a very unruly manner, and now you must die." After the request of Zhu Qizhen and the ministers present, Wang Zhen was pardoned and stipulated that "from now on, he cannot be ordered to do state affairs. "
People say that the Empress Dowager emphasized her wisdom in facing the newly enthroned emperor by emphasizing the need to listen to the advice of the five ministers. Later, she warned Wang Zhen. But this matter is probably not true: Wang Zhen entered the palace not long ago, and his bad deeds were not exposed. There was no need for Empress Dowager Zhang to do this. This matter has been verified by later generations, so I won’t say more.
In October of the fourth year of Zhengtong, Liao Mo, the governor of Fujian, died with a stick. This post minister was from the hometown of the cabinet minister Yang Pu, and Liao Mo was from the hometown of the cabinet minister Yang Shiqi. Yang Pu wanted to avenge the post minister and wanted to kill Liao Mo. Yang Shiqi tried every means to protect Liao Mo. In the name of "killing in the line of duty", the dispute remains unresolved, please leave it to the Queen Mother.
Wang Zhen took the opportunity and said to the Empress Dowager: "Both of them are holding on to their hometown. It's too heavy to bear the burden of life. It's too light to do business, so it's better to demote their grades." The Empress Dowager followed this and later demoted Liao Mo to Tongzhi. The Queen Mother saw that Wang Zhen handled things "fairly and selflessly" and gradually trusted him.
People who are cunning and treacherous do not have labels on their faces that you can clearly see at a glance. They are loyal on the surface, but they hide conspiracy in their hearts. When the conditions are not mature, such people will hide and hide. Once they gain power, they will form factions and do whatever they want.
In the sixth year of Zhengtong, the construction of Fengtian, Huagai and Jinshen halls was completed, and Zhu Qi Town held a banquet for hundreds of officials. According to the etiquette system of the Ming Dynasty, "although eunuchs favor them, they are not allowed to prepare banquets at the royal court." But Yingzong was afraid that Wang Zhen would be unhappy, so he sent someone to check in private.
Sure enough, Wang Zhen was furious and compared himself to Duke Zhou, saying, "Gong Zhou assists Duke Zhou in becoming king, so I can't sit alone!" Yingzong quickly sent someone to open the main entrance of Donghua Gate and let Wang Zhen come to the banquet. All the officials present also hurriedly got up to greet him.
Speaking of which, although Sanyang is called a wise prime minister, he was unable to see through Wang Zhen's character when he was still in his infancy because he could not judge people; he could not stop him in time before he gained power because he could not cure the disease in its infancy. .
Later, Empress Dowager Zhang died of illness, Yang Rong died first, and Yang Shiqi was arrested and imprisoned because his son Yang Ji murdered someone. He lay down and passively resisted. Among the three Yangs, only Yang Pu was in power at this time, and he was old and lonely, so Wang Zhen became even more unscrupulous.
He first took off the prohibition card that Zhu Yuanzhang had set up in the palace that "ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs". From then on, he became more and more bold and uncontrollable, and the minister of weapons did everything.
Wang You, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, who could be regarded as a department-level cadre in later generations, shamelessly recognized a thief as his father and claimed to be Wang Zhen's adopted son. Later, Wei Zhongxian's adopted son Manchu Dynasty probably started from this. This shows that Wang Zhen was extremely powerful at that time, and the so-called eunuch power in the Ming Dynasty also began with Wang Zhen.
But Wang Zhen's fate also became a lesson for later eunuchs to remind themselves. During the Tumu Fort Incident, Yingzong was captured and the main force of the 200,000-strong Beijing camp was defeated. Wang Zhen eventually died in the rebel army, and almost all the dozens of civil and military ministers who participated in the expedition died on the battlefield. When the news reached the capital, hundreds of officials burst into tears in the palace.
Later, the Empress Dowager ordered Yingzong's younger brother, Prince Zhu Qiyu, to supervise the country. Chen Yi, the imperial envoy of the capital, reported to King Yin and listed Wang Zhen's crimes. They said with grief and anger: "Wang Zhen's crime cannot be punished, and he deserves to die. If Your Highness does not punish his family according to the law, all the ministers will die here today." After that. Kneel down and get up.
At this time, Wang Zhen's best friend Ma Shun also protected Wang Zhen and chased away the ministers. During the incident, Wang Hong saw that Ma Shun was still pretending, and was furious. He stepped forward, grabbed Ma Shun, punched and kicked him, and killed him on the spot. The angry people beat Wang Zhen's other two best friends, the eunuchs Mao Gui and Wang Changsui, to death on the spot.
At this point, Zhu Qiyu ordered Wang Zhen's nephew Wang Shan to be killed and his clan to punish Wang Zhen's party. Ma Shun's body was dragged to the street for public display.
Although after the restoration of Yingzong, he rectified Wang Zhenping's name and used fragrant wood as a statue of Wang Zhen to bury him and summon his soul. In the first year of Tianshun, Yingzong also built the Jingzhong Temple for Wang Zhen in the north courtyard of Zhihua Temple in the capital to worship the souls of the dead. However, at this moment, people all over the world have already concluded Wang Zhen's case. Even if Yingzong did this, it would only be seen as him trying to save face for what he had done back then.
Wang Zhen was defeated and succeeded by Liu Jin, but relatively speaking, Liu Jin's power was not as powerful as Wang Zhen's, and his death was more tragic than Wang Zhen's. Therefore, from then on, the great eunuchs firstly because Emperors Jiajing and Longqing did not delegate too much power to the eunuchs, and secondly because of the fate of the first two "predecessors", they became vigilant. Therefore, even Feng Bao and others in the original history , and no longer dared to be too tough on the civil service group. It was not until the emergence of Wei Zhongxian that the "tradition" was broken - but Wei Zhongxian's ending is well known to everyone, and he still did not escape the pattern of those two "predecessors", so I won't go into details. .
In short, Chen Ju himself is an "honest man", and he has learned from the fate of his "predecessors". Therefore, when faced with the emperor's question, he was suddenly startled and sweaty, and said cautiously: "I am stupid and have never understood the truth." , I only know that harmony between kings and ministers is the blessing of the world."
The emperor said "Oh", not sure whether he believed it or not, but the emperor quickly asked: "In your opinion, does the Empress Dowager Cisheng believe what I just said?"
Chen Ju was startled and said in surprise: "How could the Queen Mother not believe it?"
"Ha, it would be great if everyone in the world were as honest as you." Zhu Yijun chuckled, shook his head, and lowered his voice slightly: "What I just said was not meant for the Queen Mother. I'm afraid the Queen Mother just thought it was strange. I’m afraid most of them don’t believe it.”
Chen Ju was taken aback and said, "Didn't you say it to the Queen Mother?" Then suddenly his hair stood on end and he asked in a trembling voice, "Then the emperor meant this to..."
Zhu Yijun glanced at him and said calmly: "Of course I'm talking to pragmatism."
Chen Ju swallowed quietly and said, "It was in Cining Palace just now..."
"If what I said in Cining Palace is irrelevant, then that's it. Since the matter involves practical matters, I think he will be informed of the details, don't you think?" Zhu Yijun continued to chuckle.
Chen Ju thought about it and finally made up his mind. He first stopped the emperor's ceremonial guard, then knelt down and bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, I have been trusted by you. I have been in charge of Dongchang for more than ten years, and I have always had a personal relationship with Gao Situ. If the emperor It means that if someone in the palace has an affair with an outside court and has connections inside and outside, then I will be the first to bear the brunt of the crime, and my crime will be unpardonable. I ask the emperor to punish me, and I am willing to die to thank you for your kindness."
Zhu Yijun looked at him seriously for a moment and said: "Get up, I understand."
"The guilty minister dare not."
"I want you to get up!" Zhu Yijun's tone became more serious and he repeated: "Get up and talk."
Chen Ju didn't know the emperor's intention for a while, so he had to stand up first, but he still stood with his head bowed, waiting for his resignation.
Zhu Yijun said, "Come closer." Chen Ju stepped forward.
"Closer." Chen Ju took a step forward again, reaching a distance where he could whisper to the emperor by extending his head.
Zhu Yijun then lowered his voice and said, "I ask you, have you ever been unfaithful to me?"
Chen Ju shook his head and said, "Return to your Majesty, no."
"I also know that you have never done this. If so, what crime do you deserve to deserve?"
Chen Ju was stunned and replied: "But I actually have a close relationship with the ministers of the foreign court. This is..."
"What is this? I also have a lot of friendship with pragmatism." The emperor's words were obviously strong words, but he did not give Chen Ju a chance to say more, but immediately continued: "I am not blind or deaf, let alone a fool, the inner court I don’t know how many people in the past dynasties who have close friendship with the foreign court have ever been able to ban them!"
Chen Ju was silent. This is of course an obvious truth, and it is impossible for the emperor's shrewdness to not know it.
Zhu Yijun snorted softly, then sighed again and said: "Governing the world is like governing a river. Blocking and sparing cannot be neglected, and human nature cannot be banned. Just like this palace, it is said to be a forbidden area, but it is actually the same as the streets and alleys. What's the difference? My words and deeds are not only pragmatically known, but also the officials in the outer court must be aware of them. It's just a matter of precedence.
When the Queen Mother mentioned those things just now, I could have not answered them, but I thought it would be better to answer them than not to answer them. There are some things that are hidden to make everyone feel uncomfortable, but if they are really revealed, it is just like that. However, this 'speaking' itself has to be a bit particular. If I go to Qianqing Palace to say this to you gentlemen now, then of course I can't. But if the news quietly leaks out of the inner court... Do you understand what I mean now? "
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