Chapter 17 Fifth, a virtuous gentleman?tyrant?

However, what we have seen above are only Zhu Di's remarks, which are not only for the children and grandchildren, but also for the subjects of the world.He hoped that the inheritors of his descendants would have long-term peace and stability, and he also hoped to portray himself as a virtuous king and a holy lord.However, did he really do what he said?As it turned out, Zhu Di was not always strict with what he professed.Sometimes he does as he pleases, and sometimes he even strays from his professed creed. Let's talk about respecting the heaven and the ancestors first.Zhu Di was originally a vassal king and the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, so he was not qualified to inherit the throne.In fact, his father did make his elder brother Zhu Biao the prince according to the "mandate of heaven".After the death of Prince Yiwen, his son Zhu Yunqi was appointed as the grandson of the emperor.If Zhu Di had been content with the destiny, obeyed the precepts of the ancestors, and observed the etiquette, he would not have directed the drama of Jing Nan.However, he could not resist the powerful temptation of the throne, and his confidence was further enhanced by the strength he developed by guarding the frontier and controlling the army.He finally broke through the destiny and etiquette, and wanted to change his fate by himself.

After more than three years of fighting, Zhu Di won.When he was about to enter Jinchuan Gate in Nanjing, Yang Rong, the editor, stopped his horse and asked, "Your Highness visits the mausoleum first, and ascends the throne first?"From these things, it can be seen that Zhu Di neither believed in the destiny nor respected his ancestors.His Yeling Mausoleum is just a show for the people all over the world to see.Respecting Heaven and Fazu are just tools to control the world.Therefore, Gu Yingtai, a historian of the Qing Dynasty, said: "If Sima's heart has been violent to passers-by for a long time, Qi Luan's plan was first formed in the consultation, and he was the one who gave way to the south and persuaded him to advance. Are you deceiving the sky? Who am I? !"

However, Zhu Di had to declare that he was a man of heaven, otherwise, he would not be able to rule the world.We might as well go back and look at the enthronement edict carefully prepared by Zhu Di: The spirit of my ancestors in the world, conquered and conquered,... the kings and ministers said that the descendants of my great ancestors should obey the heavens and respond to people.I refused again and again but did not get it, because I favored public opinion, and I became emperor on June 17th. Zhu Di may not really believe in the destiny, but with the level of understanding of people at that time, it is impossible to explain clearly the reason why he was able to win the world with a small army in just three years. They have every reason to suspect that God favored Zhu Di, Zhu Di himself It is inevitable to have such illusions.Of course, Zhu Di hoped that all the subjects in the world would believe that he got the throne because of the destiny. He could not go beyond the thinking mode of the monarchs who won the world by force and wisdom in the past, and he wanted to use the destiny to publicize the rationality of his rise to power.

We can also give some examples to further understand Zhu Di's view of heaven and man.For example, although Zhu Di promotes the relationship between heaven and man, he still doesn't fully believe in superstitions such as "auspiciousness".In July of the second year of Yongle, Gengshen, Linqing County, Shandong Province played wild silkworms into cocoons, and offered 26 catties of wild silkworm silk.This is regarded by people as auspiciousness descended from heaven, which is caused by the emperor's virtue.Li Zhigang, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, invited all officials to congratulate him.Zhu Di said: "It's not enough to congratulate the wild silkworms when they become cocoons. If the wild silkworms in Shandong run out of cocoons, it is enough for one side to fail to spread all over the world. My heart is still not at ease. I am a parent of the world. I drink and eat. In other words, if all the living and living people in the world are well fed and warm without hunger or cold, then I can congratulate you.” Nai stopped.Zhu Di's expectations are very high, and he is still clear-headed, thinking of being blessed by the world.Others, such as the minister's performance of offering Ruimai, Zhu Di denounced it as "flattery", and his minister's performance of congratulating cypress trees for blooming, Zhu Di denounced it as "common in the world", "what is good for use, and how is it beneficial to the people", and Zhu Di called it " But the harmony of the four seasons, the peace of the world, and the people's sufficient food and clothing are the blessings of the country. The difference in one thing is accidental, so why congratulate you" and so on, all show Zhu Di's attitude towards "auspiciousness".

The following passage is very representative and may be recorded as follows: In August Jiazi, the seventh year of Yongle, 279 copies of Jiahefan were presented in Fanzhi County, Daizhou, Shanxi Province, which was published in the Ministry of Rites "Please lead the officials to express their congratulations".The above said: "...The flood in Susong is not over now. It is near Baoding, Ansu, Chuzhou, and Lishui. It is raining and hail. The Hun River ends in Gu'an, hurting the crops. And the four directions are so wide that there are still people who have not heard about it. , I didn’t hear a word from the officials. And the way to eliminate the disaster, but chattered about He Jiahe, saying that it was caused by the auspiciousness and holiness. The husband’s disaster is not caused by me?

Zhu Di could clearly see the disasters in all directions, and he did not forget to care about the livelihood of the people. In particular, he did not want to hear the congratulations of auspiciousness, but linked the disasters with his own administration, so as to be vigilant to himself and to the ministers. As taught, this is very commendable.It is worth pondering why, despite Zhu Di's refusal, the officials still kept talking about auspiciousness. Although the officials wanted to please Zhu Di, the divine right of kings was an inherent concept in feudal society and an important argument for the rationality of the monarchy. Fundamentally speaking, Zhu Di is happy to hear this kind of praise.Zhu Di said that disasters and abnormalities were also "caused by me", but in fact he admitted that auspiciousness was also "caused by me" from the negative side, thus affirming the concept of divine right of kings and interaction between heaven and man.As long as this mode of thinking does not change, congratulations on auspiciousness are inevitable.

In addition, Zhu Di did not believe in superstitions such as golden elixir and longevity.In the 15th year of Yongle, August Jiawu, when he was in the Department of General Administration, Ouning people offered golden pills and prescriptions.Zhu Di said: "This monster is also. Qin Huang Han Wu was deceived by alchemists all his life, seeking the medicine of immortality, and he wanted to deceive me. I have no use. The golden alchemy is for you to eat, and the prescription is also for destroying it. Don't let others deceive you. People too." He didn't even seek longevity.Once, he discussed this matter with his ministers, saying that longevity is in the sky, and people are more precious than themselves.People live to be a hundred years old, and there are many people in the world, but if they are all dead, they will be unknown.Yan Zi is thirty, his name is endless, if a person has virtue to pass on, why live a hundred years old!Zhu Di paid more attention to cultivating personnel affairs. He was eager to establish his achievements and make his name known to future generations.However, we say that Zhu Di is eager to make a name for future generations, rather than saying that he is more eager to establish his prestige in the world.Zhu Di ascended the throne as a rebel, and was despised by all those who abide by feudal etiquette and integrity. In fact, he was also accused by political opponents as a traitor and traitor.How to change from a rebellious minister and a traitor to a famous king in a prosperous age is a matter that Zhu Di spends a lot of time thinking about.He is often able to introspect, which has a lot to do with this background.

As mentioned above, it is not that Zhu Di absolutely does not believe in destiny and auspiciousness, but he is more able to be vigilant and introspective.The biggest change in the Yongle period was the fire on the eighth day of April in the nineteenth year of Yongle, Beijing's Fengtian Temple and other three halls.This fire destroyed the main hall that had been successfully built for many years, and the whole country was shocked.Zhu Di hurriedly issued an edict to sin against himself and ask for blunt speech. Then, he issued another edict, "Stop all matters that are inconvenient to the people and that are not urgent. Use Su's embarrassment and disadvantages to answer the heart of heaven."It can be said that Zhu Di made a comprehensive reflection on government affairs.The only thing Zhu Di didn't want to mention was the issue of moving the capital.The three halls were on fire, and the officials followed the edict to speak out. Most of the officials thought that moving the capital was wrong, thinking that those who were warned by heaven were caused by changing the ancestral system and moving the capital to Beijing without authorization.Zhu Di was furious, and ordered the officials and ministers to kneel outside the Meridian Gate to argue.In the middle of the debate, the ministers knew that Zhu Di did not think that moving the capital was an excuse, so they had nothing to worry about, and pointed out that the officials "didn't know the big plan" and made false statements.Fortunately, Xia Yuanji, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, mediated, and the officials were not convicted.The debate about moving the capital has also come to an end.It can be seen that Zhu Di does not blindly worry or rejoice about the changes in the sky, and is quite able to choose according to his own wishes.He used the destiny as his backing to intimidate his subjects but never let the destiny bind his hands and feet.He is a very wise and discerning monarch.

As for "protecting the people like a child", how did Zhu Di do? Zhu Di claimed to love and be sympathetic to the people, and he has made a lot of remarks in this regard.What Zhu Di conceived is an ideal picture.Harmony, Tranquility, Richness, Courtesy.Indeed, during the twenty-two years of Yongle, Zhu Di also did a lot of things to keep the people safe and healthy.Zhu Di himself was extremely diligent in political affairs.Every day, he "plays with four drums, sits quietly in clothes", "thinks about the affairs of the four directions, and prioritizes them". He has morning courts in the morning and late courts in the afternoon. Reading history, I dare not take my time."He said: "I am in charge of the world, and I want to know the people's feelings well...Everyone who writes about the people's sorrows and sorrows will hear about small things, and I will never tire of hearing them." He once asked Chinese and foreign officials to write the names of Chinese and foreign officials on the south corridor of the Wuying Hall. Watch it in your spare time to get familiar with the political situation.Such diligence is rare among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, Zhu Di himself is relatively frugal.He once said: "All the treasures stored in the inner treasury are heaven's wealth, and they will be rewarded for their merits. Although I dare not waste them." The inner sleeves are dirty, and they come back."A courtier praised his virtuousness. He said: "Although I have new clothes every ten days, I think I should cherish my blessings, so I make more progress every sweat." It is not unfounded to be frugal and not to be fond of splendor. Due to the management of Zhu Dijun and his ministers, the economy damaged by the war in the early years of Yongle quickly recovered and developed, and its strength grew day by day.However, as we all know, Zhu Di was very happy, and Yongle continued to do a lot of things during the Yongle Dynasty: conquering Annan, sailing to the West, conquering Mongolia, and moving the capital to Beijing, without a moment's rest.This is quite different from the declaration of "Don't waste your money, don't waste your energy".Zhu Di once said: "The people do not lose their support, even though they work hard, and the people lose their support, even if they retire, it is immoral." With what Zhu Di did, the people fought and worked endlessly, so how can they not lose their support? Can not complain.In the first year of Hongxi (1425 A.D.), Zuo Zuo, the governor of Huguang, participated in politics, and Huang Ze said that he hit on the disadvantages of Yongle's administration: "Xiang Ye, conquered from the south to the north, left the army for many years, transported a lot of cattle and horses, dissipated huge amounts of money, and Jiangbei was trapped in construction. , the south of the Yangtze River is tired of transferring", and the result can only be that "the men are tired of hard work, and the women are tired of farming; the rich complain about the burden of expropriation, and the poor suffer from cold and starvation."In the last years of Yongle, people's livelihood was already very bad.The Tang Saier Rebellion that broke out in Shandong was a true reflection of the people's resentment towards Zhu Di.

Third, when it comes to supporting scholars and choosing talents, listen to advice and accept advice. After Zhu Di came to the throne, he flaunted Yanwu Xiuwen. He respected Confucianism, paid attention to imperial examinations, and paid attention to the cultivation of talents.A group of literati always gathered around Zhu Di, and the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty began to take shape. There are many stories about Zhu Di cherishing and nurturing talents in the literature.In the second year of Yongle, the number one scholar Zeng and others were appointed as Shu Jishi of the Imperial Academy.Shujishi is made up of those who are excellent in literature and good at calligraphy, and they are an important step in the official career.Later, Zhu Di ordered Xie Jin, a bachelor's student, to select talents and talents to study in Wenyuan Pavilion, and 28 people including Zeng ■ were selected.Zhou Chen, a concubine, failed in the election. He said that he would like to learn from the young man. Zhu Di was very happy and added Zhou Chen to a total of twenty-nine.The Ministry of Rites will give pens, inks and papers every month, Guanglu Temple will give daily meals, and the Ministry of Rites will give each person three ingots of ointment and candle banknotes every month, and the Ministry of Industry will choose a nearby mansion to live in.Zhu Di often went to the academy for interviews.As far as scholars rest and take a bath every five days, they will have their internal officials accompany them and send them to the school lieutenant, which can be described as the most courtesy.Later, many of them made political achievements and left their names for future generations.During the Yongle period, there was also an example of raising people to study in prison.Due to the limited selection of Jinshi, many candidates failed.Zhu Di ordered the Hanlin Academy to record the outstanding ones, so that they could be admitted to the postgraduate courses and given a teaching salary.It is also a way to cultivate talents. But not all talents can be put to good use during the Yongle period.Even Yang Rong, Jin Youzi, and Huang Huai, who were later famous scholars, only entered Zhiwenyuan Pavilion with a rank of five.It is said that it is participating in the secret, but in fact it is difficult to influence the decision-making. Zhu Di likes calligraphy and painting, and the Shen Du brothers who are good at calligraphy and Wang Fu who are good at painting are all taken by his side.Not all these seemingly honorable scholars are very proud, some people often feel like a bird in a cage.For example, in Wang Fu's poems: Even those who are curious, look at each other as a joke. Who knows that wild birds are suffering, and only pleases the son. Such a sentence really expresses the state of mind of some literati and scholars around Zhu Di.They are nothing more than vase cage birds for decoration. Zhu Di flaunts humility and acceptance of advice.But he is self-willed and rarely listens to other people's opinions.Military and state affairs are mostly decided by one person.Even for such a major event as sending 500,000 troops to conquer Mongolia, it is rare for the ministers to praise them.In the eighth year of Yongle's Northern Expedition, when he drove to Lingxiao Peak, Zhu Di asked his courtier Hu Guang and others, "Why don't you hear a word from the generals here?" Hu Guang replied flatteringly, "Success counts. How can the brilliance of a single spark ascend to benefit the sun and the moon?" This certainly shows that the generals are not active, but it also shows the relationship between Zhu Di and the officials.Historian Tan Qian said when commenting on the Northern Expedition: "The princes of the Yuan Dynasty, the sharp men, only know how to be fearful, and they plan to discuss the beasts." "The British public Zhang Fu urgently transferred to the conquest, neither to fight against the front nor to drive to the north, but only to supervise the movement. "The emperor himself will not want the ministers to share their merits."That being the case, how dare the ministers speak out? After two expeditions to the north, Zhu Di's intended goal was still not achieved.In the nineteenth year of Yongle, Zhu Di once again raised the issue of the Northern Expedition, which was opposed by the officials.Fang Bin, Minister of the Ministry of War, said that the army was exhausted.Xia Yuanji, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, said: "every year, the teachers have made no achievements, the savings of the army and horses have been lost, and the disaster expenses have been repeated, and the internal and external are exhausted." Zhu Di was furious, and Fang Bin committed suicide in fear. Xia Yuanji was imprisoned and joined his family .Zhu Di insisted on going his own way, and launched three consecutive Northern Expeditions in the 20th, 21st, and 22nd years of Yongle.As a result, it was returned in vain.During the fifth Northern Expedition, Zhu Di returned to Yumuchuan and was seriously ill. Fang sighed, "Xia Yuanji loves me", isn't it too late! In the end, Zhu Di claimed that in order to govern morality, punishment should be based on teaching. He continued to affirm the etiquette system, praising women and filial piety, and ordered Confucian scholars to compile "Facts of Filial Piety" and "Being a Good Yin Stall" to bestow on the world.Zhu Di himself pretended to be extremely benevolent, even so hypocritical that he dressed himself as unwilling to hurt even bugs.On this day in May of the fifth year of Yongle, Zhu Di came to Linggu Temple and stayed in the courtyard of Huahua: "There is a caterpillar wearing a coat and brushing it on the ground with his hands. Physiology, don't injure it lightly.'" However, Zhu Di's actions have many things to discuss.The most despised thing is the killing of Jianwen's ministers. Generally, the founding monarch is always a bit of a rogue.Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they can flout etiquette and rampage without scruple?You see, during the struggle between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu wanted to kill Liu Bang's father, and Liu Bang wanted to "take my share of the pie" with a playful smile.At first, Liu Bang despised Confucian scholars, and when some Confucian scholars came to visit him, he actually grabbed the Confucian scholar's hat and urinated inside.Similarly, when Zhu Yuanzhang was full of wings, he ordered people to sink the Xiaoming King, whom he had supported for a long time, into the river.After assuming the throne, he only killed Liwei, and showed no mercy to those who might pose a threat to him. As a vassal king, Zhu Di led his troops to seize the throne, and he also needed to have the spirit of challenging the sacred etiquette.This emperor, who was almost the founding king of the country, could not help being a bit of a rascal.Zhu Di also has a close role model, his father Zhu Yuanzhang.Hu Shi tasted and said: "Chengzu was born eight years after Ming Taizu started his army (1360). He saw Taizu's hooliganism, so his behavior is most like his father." Like his Laozi, Zhu Di not only has hooliganism, but also a A brutal and bloodthirsty tyrant.Whether it is a political opponent or a weak woman in the palace who offends him, he will kill them all.Since he led the "Jing Nan" division into Nanjing, Zhu Di began to brutally suppress and massacre political opponents.In the first year of Yongle (1403), Zhu Di announced: "I rely on the spirit of the heaven and earth clan, and the blessing of the father, the queen, and the queen will make the world possible. Anyone who changes the constitution of the father and the emperor and messes up the world will be killed. The rest There is no doubt that civil and military officials are still in use. Rewards, reprimands and punishments are from the highest level...Nowadays, those who dare to divide each other arbitrarily, suspect and slander, and those who are uneasy in their duties will be wiped out." Zhu Di's suppression of political opponents was not only cruel Yes, but also unprecedentedly barbaric and despicable.At first, the list of "treacherous parties" he announced included only 29 people including "left class civil servants" Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, etc., but it is difficult to count the actual number of people who were persecuted and killed.As the preceding quotations show, his killing was accompanied by political propaganda, which was nothing more than to legitimize himself as emperor.Everywhere he advertises that he is a direct descendant, and that he maintains and abides by the constitution of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Di broke into Nanjing, and Zhu Yunwen either died or escaped, and his whereabouts were unknown. Zhu Di planned to use Fang Xiaoru, a famous literati known as the "seed of reading", to draft an imperial edict for his accession to the throne.There was a debate among them.Zhu Di said: "I am the Duke of Zhou's assistant Cheng Wanger." Fang Xiaoru questioned: "Where is King Cheng?" Zhu Di said: "Yi burned himself to death." Fang Xiaoru said: "Why don't you become the son of King Cheng?" Zhu Di replied: "The country depends on the elder. "Fang Xiaoru said: "Why don't you make him the younger brother of the king?"Of course, we cannot determine right and wrong based on the etiquette of the monarchy and patriarchal system.However, isn't it possible to see Zhu Di's rascal appearance from this dialogue?Zhu Di ordered Fang Xiaoru to be forced to give Fang Xiaoru a pen letter, saying: "Mr. is the one who must order the world." Fang Xiaoru said: "Death is death, and the edict cannot be ignored."Fang Xiaoru said: "What can the ten clans do!" So a catastrophe happened that killed the ten clans.Zhu Di ordered people to "cut both sides of his mouth to his ears with a knife", and put him in prison, and then hunted down his disciples wantonly to form "ten clans". "Each person is filial to a child" tortured him mentally.The unprecedented torture of killing ten clans created by Zhu Di made "eight hundred and seventy-three people sat dead, and those who took off the garrison were invincible."Others, such as Tie Xuan, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, "cut off his ears and nose", and asked him "whether he is willing to eat it" in Na Xuan's mouth. Tie Xuan said: "Why are you unwilling to be willing to eat the meat of a loyal minister and a filial son! "" I still muttered and cursed until I died. Zhuo Jing, the servant of the household department, was unyielding. He was executed with a calm expression, and he was also exterminated by the three clans. The Minister of Rites, Chen Di, was unyielding. Zhu Di captured and killed his son, cut his nose and tongue, and forced him to eat. Chen Di "Spit, Yi reprimanded", and was finally killed by Ling Chi, and more than 180 people were sent to the garrison by the clan. The Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment was violent and unyielding. Zhu Di ordered people to "remove his teeth first, and then cut off his limbs." Jue, until the neck is broken." Jingqing, the imperial censor of Zuoqian, was "cut out of his teeth, and scolded, with blood on his imperial robe because he failed to assassinate Zhu Di.He was ordered to peel off its skin and leave it for straw. Lian Zining, the censor of the right, was arrested for speaking badly. Zhu Di "ordered his tongue to be cut off and died. One hundred and fifty-one people from the clan abandoned the world, and the relatives of the nine clans were confiscated and garrisoned." There are hundreds of people from afar.” There are many others. The death of these people was not only out of martyrdom against feudal etiquette and Emperor Jianwen, but more importantly, they were out of support for Emperor Jianwen’s lenient government and opposed Zhu Di. The political stance of "restoring the old system of the ancestors". This has been discussed in the previous article. The most barbaric thing is Zhu Di's treatment of the families of these martyrs, not to mention his order to establish "treacherous parties" in counties and counties. From a memorandum of Zhu Di's oral edict, it is enough to see his rascal face. In the first month of the first year of Yongle, the school lieutenant Liu Tong and others sent a post as an evil deed: "One of the criminal divisions led prisoners Zhang Wuzi and other six men and women, and prisoner Yang Wen and other five hundred and fifty-one men and women." Chin Yi "has been able to get solutions to the relatives of Lian's family in the past few days. The one who didn't know how to get angry with him the day before yesterday refused to come in outside the city.Jin Yiwei took all these fellows for interrogation in the same criminal department.It's too late to pick out those who are close, and all the distant relatives are sent to scatter into the army.If the distant relatives refuse to speak out about the close ones, it will be too late. " In February, 448 men and women including Zou Gongjin were released.On December 12th of the same year, the Secretary of Jiaofang wrote: "There is a treacherous Zhuojing daughter Yang Nu, and Niu Jingxian's second wife, Liu Shi, who have no previous license; Xie Sheng's father is seventy-four years old, and the male instigator is twenty years old." Ju Fengqinyi "provided gold-toothed guards to fill the army, and his wife, Han, sent him to Qi State to transfer to a camp for adultery. Mao Dafang and boys Shuntong, Daoshou, and young boys Wensheng were all sentenced to punishment." "My wife, Zhang's Fajiaofang Secretary, died of illness."Zuo Shaowu Anzheng and other officials played, and Feng Qinyi said: "Pay Jinyiwei to Shangyuan County, carry it outside the door, and eat it with dogs." On the 11th day of the first month of the eleventh year, the Secretary of Jiaofang and other officials played at the gate of Youshun: "There are sisters such as treacherous Qitai and their nieces and daughters-in-law, and four women, sister Huang Zicheng, guarded by more than 20 men every day and night. The younger ones are all pregnant. Except for the childbirth order to be a little turtle, there is also a three-year-old daughter." Feng Qinyi: "It's up to him, if he grows up to poop, he will be a prostitute." He also played: "At the beginning, Huang Zicheng's wife gave birth to a young servant, and now he is ten years old." Feng Qinyi: "It's all up to him." On April 21st of the ninth year of Yongle, a certain secretary played: "Zhang Lin, deputy envoy of the Huanyi Bureau, raped a woman." "The leader of Jiaofang was stabbed." This is just a small amount of material among a large number of facts. It is hundreds of words in "Fengtian Xingshanglu" and "Qinlubu", but they are so vivid that Zhu Di's face is fully exposed without further explanation. .Zhu Di is clearly a hooligan leader wearing a crown and a yellow robe! Lu Xun, a close friend, hated the cruelty of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di and his son.He said: "Since the beginning of history, the Chinese have always been massacred, slaved, plundered, tortured, and oppressed by the same race and foreign races. People don’t feel like living in the world.” Why did Zhu Di carry out such a brutal massacre? In a word, it was to satisfy his desire for power and secure the throne of the emperor. If you win, you must use all means to deal with the opposition to lighten your anger.Yao Guangxiao is worthy of being Zhu Di's important adviser.Their hearts are connected.A passage of his words is no different from Zhu Di's own words.When dealing with the issue of Jianwen's loyal minister Zhuo Jing, Yao Guangxiao said: "Although the world has been decided, Your Majesty, the army will change Fang Yin. If you want to return to Yandu, you can do it without killing Jing. Now the king of Chu is still strong, and the king of Shu is prosperous. Although Jing is a scholar, It is a real heroic talent. If it is born today, Peter will carry out his ambitions, move the kings, and promote righteousness. According to the southeast, limit the danger of the Yangtze River, encourage heroes, and raise troops to the north. Your Majesty will not be able to rest in peace. Isn’t it just raising a tiger for yourself? Is it a legacy?" In addition to this public massacre and humiliation, Zhu Di also used various conspiracy methods to kill people.Why would a powerful emperor conspire to kill someone?In order to dress up as a magnanimous person regardless of past suspicions, he can only conspire to kill those who are inconvenient to openly attack.There is absolutely no room for tolerance in Zhu Di's heart for those who offend him.Please give two examples. One is Xie Jin.Xie tasted in Hongwu and was known as Taizu for his talent.In Jianwen, he was once relegated to Hezhou Weili, and was later recommended as Hanlin Daizhao.Zhu Di came to the throne, and Jin was promoted to be a servant student. Together with Huang Huai, Yang Shiqi, Hu Guang, Jin Youzi, Yang Rong, and Hu Yan, he went straight to Wenyuan Pavilion to participate in the maintenance of the machine, and sought a bachelor's degree.Zhu Di flaunted Yan Wu Xiuwen, a scholar of excellent etiquette literature, gathered people to edit various large-scale books, re-edited "Taizu Shilu", edited "Yongle Dadian", etc., all with Xie Jin as the president.But Xie Jin caused Zhu Di's dissatisfaction in revising "Taizu Veritable Records", discussing the establishment of the reserve, and admonishing to stop sending troops to Annan.It has been discussed before about the revision of "Records of Taizu".Regarding the establishment of the reserve, Xie Jin advocated the establishment of the eldest son Zhu Gaochi, who was deeply hated by Zhu Gaoxu, who had done so much.At that time, Zhu Gaoxu doted on Yilong, "the rank of etiquette surpassed that of his concubine".Xie Jin also angered Zhu Di by saying that he could not start a dispute, and was denounced as "dividing flesh and blood".In the fourth year of Yongle, he gave Huang Huai and other five people two grades of gauze clothes, which were not as good as Jin.However, Zhu Di did not commit the crime of punishment for this, but he was relegated to the Chief Secretary of Guangxi to participate in the council because of the unfair reading of the court examination papers.After doing it, he was impeached and resented, so he changed his address and supervised the payment of Huazhou.Zhu Di personally conquered Mobei, and Jinqia went to Beijing to play an event, and returned to the crown prince.As a result, Zhu Gaoxu said that he was "privately visiting the prince" and "no courteous courtesy", and he was arrested and sent to prison, "tortured and prepared", and once he was imprisoned.In the thirteenth year of Yongle, Zhu Di checked Jinyiwei's prison registration, saw Xie Jin's name, and said, "Jin is still here?" Ji Gang then ordered Jin to drink until he was drunk, buried in snow, and died immediately. The other is Mayym.Mei Yin is the husband of Zhu Di's sister, Princess Ningguo, and is the favorite of Zhu Yuanzhang.When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the kings were strong, Zeng Mi entrusted him to assist Zhu Yunqi. "Jing Nan" rose up, and he guarded Huai'an as the commander-in-chief.Zhu Di's army went south, and in the name of offering incense, they wanted to pass through Mei Yin's defense line.Mei Yin said: "For offering incense, the emperor's exams are forbidden, and those who do not obey it are not filial." Zhu Di was furious, and wrote to Mei Yin, saying: "Nowadays, soldiers are prospering to punish the evil on the side of the emperor, and the destiny returns, and no one can stop it. "Mei Yin cut off the ear and nose of the envoy, let him go back, and said: "Leave Rukou for His Royal Highness to express the righteousness of the monarch and ministers." Zhu Di took a detour to attack Nanjing, and Mei Yin still supported Huai.Zhu Di forced Princess Ningguo to "gnaw blood as a book" and summoned Mei Yin to return to Beijing.Of course, Zhu Di couldn't tolerate such a person, but it was inconvenient for the royal family to attack openly.In the second year of Yongle, Chen Ying, the censor of the capital, reported that Mei Yin "preserved and died" and "cursed" Zhu Di.Zhu Di remained calm and said, "I deal with it myself."He ordered the Ministry of Households to determine the number of ceremonial servants of the prince's son-in-law, and ordered Jin Yiwei to send Mei Yin's family to Liaodong.In October of the following year, when Mei Yin entered the court, Tan Shen, the former governor of the army, and Zhao Xi, the commander of Jin Yiwei, squeezed Mei Yin under the bridge and drowned, and then reported to Zhu Di that Mei Yin committed suicide by throwing himself into the water.Princess Ningguo found Zhu Di, who pretended to catch the murderer and comforted her by arranging her two sons to be officials.Unexpectedly, the murderer was pointed out, Zhu Di had no choice but to punish him, but the two said: "This is the fate, how can I kill the minister!"Zhu Di was furious, and he ordered the warriors to "hold the golden rice bowl, knock off two teeth, and cut them off." The two men were also miserable.If they don't confess to the messenger Zhu Di, maybe they can survive?However, it is unknown that Zhu Di will kill people to silence him.This incident is enough to see Zhu Di's insidiousness. Sometimes, Zhu Di pretended to be lenient to those who offended him, instead of punishing them immediately, and would kill them for his reasons in the future.At the beginning of Yongle period, Luo Qian, Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice in Beijing, suggested to Zhu Di that "the imperial court should employ both the old and the new. Those who are trusted today should lead the old ministers in the vassal mansion, which is not the way of justice." It turned out that "the words involved resentment and slander".Zhu Di showed the memorial to the officials, and the officials all said that "the crime should be corrected".However, Zhu Di pretended to be open-minded and magnanimous, saying: "I am the king of the world, and my political desires are outspoken every day, so please forgive me." In fact, Zhu Di did not forgive his crimes in his heart.Sure enough, in February of the third year of Yongle, Zhu Di actually executed Luo Qian for the crimes of "greedy and tyrannical officials" and "being a prestige".This political reality has left many disappointed and bemoaned.At the beginning of Yongle, he served as a reviewer of Hanlin, and he was the most important to Xie Jin, and the poet Wang who was implicated in Xie Jin's affairs and died wrote: If you have tears, don't weep shark beads; if you have feet, don't offer Jingshan jade. The red-hearted apprentice guesses with the sword, and the treasure turns to make Xiao Yumu. To make matters worse, Zhu Di restored Jinyi Guard Prison. Jinyi Guard Prison, also known as Imperial Prison, was an important tool for Zhu Yuanzhang to implement his brutal rule.It transcends the law and judges right and wrong according to the emperor's joy and anger.At that time, "the emperor (Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang) was punished and killed, or he went down to the governor's miscellaneous governance, and took the imperial edict, so that he could not pass the law."The Jinyi Guard Prison was equipped with all kinds of instruments of torture. Under the protection of the emperor, he committed crimes and cruelty. Later, even Zhu Yuanzhang had to restrict the Jin Yi Guard Prison.In the 20th year of Hongwu (1387), Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to "learn the fire list and plunder the tools. For another six years, the inner and outer prisons were not allowed to go to the Jinyiwei, and all the big and small salty scriptures were taught. In the end of the emperor (Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang), the Jinyiwei will no longer be coded. Prison." After Zhu Di came to the throne, although he carried out massacres, he still felt that the throne was unstable, and there was great uneasiness lurking in the superficial peace.The whereabouts of Zhu Yunqi's life and death have not yet been clarified.If he is still alive, he may make a comeback at any time.The political opponents did not cooperate with Zhu Di, and even plotted to assassinate him, which made him restless, full of doubts, and he could not even live in his dreams.As Wang Shizhen said: "Since the son of heaven (Zhu Di) started from a vassal state and threatened to assume the position with his teacher, he couldn't help but suspect that everyone had different opinions, and he had something to say." "Legislative Words" Ji Gang, "Govern Jinyi soldiers, restore codes and edict prisons".Ji Gang understood Zhu Di's thoughts, "Yi spread his personal distance, and plotted day and night. Hearing that, Shang (Zhu Di) thought he was loyal, and he coughed. That is to say, Qi became a hero of the public, and when he saw it, he would be a hero." Hidden references, dare not compare numbers with clothes." Ji Gang is a cruel man, and even more so because of this "poor intentions are wrong".A group of minions under him "served the gang with a song, and borrowed hundreds of thousands of profit from each other".The punishment patterns in Jinyi Guard Prison have been refurbished, and Zhu Di has long since thrown away the prohibition of indiscriminate corporal punishment in the "Ancestral Instructions".He ordered the collection of weapons from all over the world, sent Hu to spy on people's secrets, rewarded informants, and appointed Ji Gang, Chen Ying and other "profound officials" as minions to suppress the people.And so on, and so on.Zhu Di's tyranny left a very bad precedent for later generations and became a model for those who practiced tyranny.For example, in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi (1504), Zhu Liu, head of the Ministry of Punishments, said: "The prisoners sent to Dali should be corrected and punished improperly."The Yongle torture has become a new ancestral system that cannot be surpassed by future generations. The scourge of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty is also quite prominent in history.The Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was very strict with eunuchs because of the failure of eunuchs in the past dynasties to interfere in politics.Although Hongwuzhong already used eunuchs to issue orders for military parades, monitor ministers, inspect officials, approve tax collection, and envoys to foreign countries, eunuchs did not dare to be presumptuous after all.Once, an eunuch who had served Zhu Yuanzhang for many years was sent back because of occasional remarks and current events.Jianwen.He also paid attention to restraining eunuchs, and issued two edicts prohibiting appointments with middle officials, so "the internal officials complained a lot".On the contrary, Zhu Di is using some eunuchs as eyes and ears to place beside Emperor Jianwen.It is said in history, "Jingnan raised an army, and the income in three years was only Beiping, Yongping, and Baoding. As a result, there were middle-ranking officials who were about to respond to the internal affairs, saying that they had to go straight to the capital, and the world could be settled. Emperor Wen Zhu Di deeply understood it. "Zhu Di avoided the strong enemy, went straight to Nanjing, and won easily.The Nanjing Jinchuan Gate opened, and the Jianwen Palace caught fire at the same time. Perhaps the fire was set by these middle officials, otherwise what is the internal response? "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty" will not talk about it.When Zhu Di entered the palace, he "killed the palace people and exhausted the internal officials, while those who offended Emperor Jianwen were retained", "Since he was on the throne, he was promoted to be the guard of the frontier vassal".Due to the illegal usurpation of the throne, Zhu Di had doubts and "had to send something privately."Apart from Ji Gang and others, the eunuchs are the most trusted ones.He set up Dongchang with eunuchs to monitor the subjects of the world.Dongchang and Jinyiwei formed a strict monitoring network, and implemented a reign of terror, even the crown prince was under the surveillance of eunuchs.The status of eunuchs has been greatly improved, and they have become important members of the bureaucracy in supervising the army, sub-towns, conscripting, picking wood, supervising service, and envoys to foreign countries.They looked down upon officials, and they would wear python clothes around the emperor. This kind of clothing was not easy to obtain even for civil and military officials.The calamity of the eunuchs in later generations began quietly. The Jianwen New Deal implemented enlightened politics, which once interrupted the growing process of extreme authoritarianism promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang.Zhu Di went the other way and completely obliterated the Jianwen New Deal.What he yearns for is to be an extremely autocratic emperor.Zhu Di believes that "the emperor is the master of the people" which is quite different from Fang Xiaoru's emphasis on "the reason why the king established by heaven is for the people is not to make the people serve the emperor". However, Zhu Di's obscene power could not completely subdue the dissatisfaction of the people.Just as Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty said: "With the respect of one moment and ten thousand vehicles, one can hold the wrath of the world, but there are those who cannot realize their intentions as soon as possible." He cited the attitude of Fang Xiaoru in later generations to illustrate: "The Battle of Jianwen There is no one who can die for righteousness in the world's name like Mr. Tiantai Fang. He has suffered disasters fiercely, and there is no one like Mr. Fang. Mr. Fang died more than 30 years ago, and the world dared to name him. After another fifty years, the world dared It takes a hundred years to recite his words, but there are reporters in the world who seek his extinct descendants." Of course, Wang Shizhen commented on this matter from the standpoint of the etiquette and law of the monarchy and patriarchal system.However, it can be seen that people's hearts are difficult to conquer, even in the face of cruel killing! The irony is that Zhu Di wanted people to see him as a sage and wise monarch who was dedicated to rituals and music and to administer benevolent government.He even made himself look like he wouldn't hurt a bug.Once when Zhu Di went to Linggu Temple, "Looking around in the atrium, there was an insect wearing a coat and brushing it on the ground with his hand. Xu ordered the Zhongguan to take it and put it among the trees, saying: "Although these things are small, they all have physiology, so don't hurt them lightly. "So contrived and hypocritical. Zhu Di's cruelty was not entirely due to political compulsion, but more because of his brutal and extremely selfish nature.Gai's desires are extremely strong, and he will be desperate to fulfill his desires, and he will show no mercy to those who hinder the fulfillment of his desires.A tragedy involving more than 3,000 people that occurred in Yongle Palace in his later years (see more than one article for details) is the best proof.