Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Master Hidden Form

Back in the Song Dynasty, this name was also a headache at the time, and it almost made the entire literary world of the Song Dynasty furious.The eunuch Liang actually claimed that he was the illegitimate son of Su Shi, a great writer. This is simply blasphemy. Su Shi is a perfect man in people's hearts.He is not only talented, capable of living, caring, and persistent, but also a good man who is devoted to emotion. For example, he wrote "Ten Years of Life and Death" for his first wife. I don't know how many generations of ladies were moved to cry, hating that he was not born in the Song Dynasty, married Su Shi and died early, so that he could be the author of this poem. The protagonist; for example, he turned around and married the younger sister of his first wife. During the Wutai poetry case, the wife got angry and burned all his poem manuscripts and ink marks, and he laughed it off.

What a big heart. Another example is that in his later years, he lived with his concubine Chaoyun, Chaoyun accompanied him to far south Xinjiang, and died of illness in a foreign land... Well, this is Chaoyun's kindness to Su Shi, and there is nothing to prove Su Shi's greatness.But he is good, and he who writes good poems and words is a good person! Therefore, Liang Shicheng became the public enemy of the cultural circles at that time, but no one dared to talk nonsense.First, because his power is too great, so big that Cai Jing has to flatter with a smile on his face, Tong Guan has to consciously act like a junior, and the most difficult people inside and outside the palace are all beautiful sheep and sheep in front of him, who would want to marry him? How dare?

Secondly, he is really kind to the Su family.For example, when the banning of Su Shi's articles and works was the most popular, no one dared to say a word of justice.Liang Shicheng stood up, and openly knelt in front of Zhao Ji, shouting for grievances: "What is the crime of the former minister?" Xianchen is a son's respectful title for his father. As a son, he said this in public.Thanks to his efforts, the ban on Su Shi was loosened, and Su Shi's articles and calligraphy began to appear. After Su Shi's death, the life of the Su family was very difficult. When his son Su Guo was in the capital, Liang Shicheng ordered the officials of the palace treasury that Su Xueshi could do whatever he wanted with less than 10,000 guan and did not need to report it.

Brothers can't do this either. Liang Shicheng is such a complicated person, he must be cruel, because he is the number one eunuch in that era who does his part, deters the world, and turns his hands around.But he has enough human touch to do things that decent people feel sympathy for.Why is this so? It starts with his path to power. His ability and position contain two diametrically opposed attributes of good and evil. The eunuchs of the Song Dynasty came to Liang Shicheng's generation, so it is necessary to trace their upgrade path.In the beginning, they were nothing but cleaning staff in the palace, and their number was very small, about fifty.

Under Zhao Kuangyin's strict management, their life was very gloomy, and the glory of the seniors in the Tang Dynasty was simply unimaginable. During Zhao Guangyi's period, there was a sudden blowout. Wang Jien, the great eunuch of Shiquan, was born out of nowhere. It was only when Fatty Lu, the god of decline, that he fell short. Later, when good luck came, Zhenzong Zhao Heng's health collapsed, and his wife Liu E took advantage of the loopholes to gain the highest power, and even the eunuchs also rose.When Renzong arrived, there were already individual outstanding figures such as Zhang Maoze, who could give Renzong a headache. When he fell ill, he ran out of the palace with disheveled hair to ask for help from all the officials, saying that the eunuch wanted to kill him.

The power of the eunuchs in the British and Shenyang dynasties grew steadily. In terms of military generals, Li Xian had a detached position in the Northwest Army; But it is still within the controllable range, and the real loss of control is during the Gao Taotao period.This is the second female leader in the history of the Song Dynasty. Imperial power is sometimes like chastity. When you are bullied for the first time, there are many sympathizers and supporters. It was boring and numb. The second time was Gao Taotao, and the third time was to the Empress Dowager. During this period, the ministers dared to face the emperor with their backs and buttocks on the court. When reporting work, they only talked to the Empress Dowager and ignored the emperor's face.What kind of situation is this? Even the eunuchs are lawless.

Chen Yan and others appeared, who dared to tamper with the imperial decree and be behind the scenes when Gao Taotao was seriously ill and Song Zhezong failed to take charge of the government.The fact that the eunuchs have achieved this step has vaguely reflected the shadow of the eunuch community in the late Tang Dynasty. Chen Yan was short-lived and died a miserable death, but he pointed out the way forward for the younger generations.This is the way to be an eunuch. In the Song Dynasty, being an eunuch was not the only way to lead soldiers to fight and get bloody. Liang Shicheng is the most beautiful person on this road.

It takes a special mind to walk this path. You must know that eunuchs are always the emperor's parasites. It is such a big proposition to secretly control the overall situation while the emperor is still alive or even healthy, and to be the mastermind behind the huge empire!To unravel it, even the group of eunuchs in the late Tang Dynasty who could manipulate the life and death of the Tang emperor at will could not do it. Those eunuchs are only heightening and thickening the power of the eunuchs on the basis of their predecessors, and they are only conservative.Only the first generation of eunuchs who created the situation can solve this seemingly unsolvable problem.

Liang Shicheng is the first generation.He wants to draw chestnuts from the fire, the first thing to do is analyze.It is necessary to analyze the special hobbies of the new emperor and match him up in order to have his living space.You know, he was still an unknown junior when Song Zhezong died! History has proved that his wisdom is at the same level as Tong Guan and Cai Jing. He thought of everything Tong Guan and Cai Jing thought of, and when operating, his choice of direction and execution ability were stronger than Tong and Cai Jing. Just like someone who uses coal to burn a fire can get warmth; someone who uses coal to carve can get a work of art.

Tong Guan analyzed that Zhao Ji likes calligraphy, painting, painting, painting, green feathers and antiques, so he temporarily laid down the foundation of armed eunuchs, let go of the army, and went to the distant and unfamiliar Hangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River to find art treasures for Zhao Ji. By chance, Cai Jing used his talent to help Tong Guan and fulfill himself.And Liang Shicheng went to the next level. He wanted to be behind the scenes and control the overall situation. Then the battlefield would always be in the capital, even in the palace. He couldn't leave here. in order to achieve the goal.

He can't leave Kaifeng, never. Liang Shicheng collected a large number of famous people's calligraphy and paintings in his private mansion outside his palace, and then used all his connections to invite handsome and famous people from all over the world to review and appreciate them. He hid in the dark, listened and watched, which famous people have superb knowledge, If it can resonate with him, it becomes his prey. One after another, he collected a lot, and he was very attentive when doing this work. This is his team, his capital, and the most basic element for him to get close to Zhao Ji and become the black hand behind the scenes. With a team, Liang Shicheng became more low-key.When he appeared in the palace, it was like a ray of flaxen-colored breeze, which not only refreshed people, but also carried a kind of refined connotation that other eunuchs did not have. The reason for this is because of his knowledge.This caring eunuch, when the other eunuchs around him wield their guns and wield sticks and open their formations and march in silence to prepare for the war in the northwest, he pays attention to the books.Even if he never had the possibility of entering the examination room and becoming a courtier, he still read a lot of books. Books gave him a different kind of charm and opportunities, and Zhao Ji noticed him.The emperor was lonely, and he walked out of the palace gate to the court hall, accompanied by ministers who had received the same education as him and could play with him.For example, Cai Jing, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, no matter what kind, they both have a common language.But back in the palace, groups of eunuchs, apart from the servants serving tea and pouring water, are also hermaphrodites showing off their power, making it nondescript. How perfect is Zhao Ji's elegant life in the long run? Liang Shicheng filled this gap. At first he showed a little bit of literary talent, which made Zhao Ji curious; gradually he showed more, Zhao Ji upgraded him to a doll, took him around in the imperial city, chatting at any time; It was found that the eunuch's foundation could not be found out, and he was not only a little literary, but even the state's government orders could not trouble him. This is very rare. Take the ministers outside as an example. The training process of a minister is very long. First, basic education, starting from the study of Confucianism and Mencius, and successfully becoming a courtier through the imperial examination. This is just the beginning.After that, you have to accept the standard training of civil servants before you can take over the specific work.Taking memorial writing as an example, in terms of format and content, it is completely different from scientific examination. An eunuch actually has this ability without a teacher... What a surprise, Zhao Ji realized that this was a godsend opportunity for him to jump out of the sea of ​​Wenshan cases and throw himself into the art garden to enjoy himself.Think about how perfect it is. An eunuch writes a memorial and writes a reply according to his wishes. He writes quickly and well, with only benefits and no harm. What could be the danger?Can it seize the highest power and suppress the imperial power like Liu E?Just kidding, the ancestral family law of the Song Dynasty is the most complete and meticulous among all dynasties. Zhao Ji himself is young and healthy. No matter how he calculates it, this eunuch is just a human typewriter. The human typewriter started working, and from the moment it started, the results have been good, and there has never been a single mistake.Even in the outside world, people gradually formed a point of view: The new emperor's work attitude is really good. The daily workload is getting bigger and bigger, and the coverage is getting wider and wider. Many details of the empire are also taken care of. How did this happen?It's very simple, Liang Shicheng just asked his huge team to produce a few more copybooks every day.These celebrities who have profound attainments and unique understanding of the art of calligraphy and painting have in-depth experience of this copybook and collective verification, until the excellence has reached the level of false ones. The copybook is Zhao Ji's imperial pen. The Song Dynasty was fundamentally chaotic, and the imperial edict of the emperor was actually faked. Think about how many decrees have become Liang Shicheng's personal will. He hardly needs criminal accomplices to have the power to sit on an equal footing with the country. Seeing this, many people would frown. The government agencies of the Song Dynasty were superimposed and restrained each other, especially the imperial decree and imperial pen, which Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Pu paid the most attention to in order to prevent someone from cheating or the king from being fatuous. For example, the generation of an imperial decree. First, the ministers in Zhongshu Province made a judgment on the matter reported below, wrote a draft, and submitted it to the emperor.After the emperor's approval, the handling opinions were returned to Zaizhi, and Zaizhi made a conclusion through a joint meeting, and then handed it over to Hanlin scholars or Zhizhigao to write an official document.During this period, if Hanlin scholars and Zhizhigao feel that there is something wrong with the content, they have the right to reject and refuse to write. Such a rigorous process is the most perfect in all dynasties. If a dead eunuch dares to play tricks, it is purely courting death.Moreover, the imperial decree was not written by the emperor at all, even if the eunuch wanted to play tricks, there was no way to do it. This is thanks to the new party. To be honest, during the Xining period, when Wang Anshi and Song Shenzong reformed, some government orders could not be promulgated.Hanlin scholars and Zhizhigao are all members of the old party, and every decree promulgated by them is a new reform law, and every one makes them furious, and let them write and promulgate?Go to hell, reject everything without exception. There are too many times, and Wang Anshi is also popular. If there is no Butcher Zhang, will he eat hairy pigs?Before a new official of the two systems is elected, the decree is released directly to bypass this hurdle. As a result, there are both advantages and disadvantages, the pace of reform has been accelerated, and the tight-fitting system has also been broken.Since then, there have always been people who have used various excuses to not abide by the principles and make small moves in the process.But generally speaking, no one dares to falsify on a large scale. The reason why Liang Shicheng has developed is that he has gained some credit from Cai Jing. As I said before, Cai Jing used the lecture department to monopolize all the operations of the country's clan, redundant officials, state affairs, business travel, Yanze, Fu Diao, Yin Mu, etc., so the original functional departments were also paralyzed, and various How can regulations and systems survive alone? Liang Shicheng had intentions on the one hand, and good luck on the other. He just happened to hit this once-in-a-lifetime crack in the era. The major yamen couldn't even protect themselves. Even Cai Jing didn't dare to provoke him. Who would suddenly get nervous and ran to ask Zhang Shengzhi? Emperor—Your Majesty, did you write this by yourself? It's too long! Eunuch Liang held the imperial pen in his hand, and issued the country's highest order at any time. With this in his hand, he was like Zeus with lightning in his hand, and he was invincible wherever he pointed.What he hacked the most was the appointment and dismissal of personnel. Who is promoted and who is dismissed is exactly the authority of the original two systems of officials, which is the most frequent thing in the imperial pen, and this is precisely the lifeblood of officials.Whoever wants to be promoted has to ask Eunuch Liang. Liang Shicheng firmly grasped the lifeblood of all officials... Well, I admit, this is indeed a bit of a bad taste, but that's what happened, history always repeats a joke, almost in every feudal dynasty At the end of the period, the lifelines of all officials were firmly grasped by some dysfunctional hermaphrodites. Ever since, Liang Shicheng took control of the officialdom, and felt monotonous after a long period of control. He found another fresh "food" and began to attack scientific research.The scientific examination is the pride of the literati and the emperor's supreme means to win over the world's heroes. At this time, it has also been transferred to Liang Shicheng's hands and has become a crash course for his cronies. He was able to force Chu Hong, his confidant, into the examination room for the ritual examination, but it was a pity that Chu Hong failed to live up to his expectations and failed.It doesn't matter, if it doesn't work once, it will be twice, the examiner will tremble the second time, if you don't admit it, be careful there will be a third time, or your official career will end, and you will go to the frontier to stand guard. Chu Hong succeeded. He walked out of the examination room of the Ministry of Rites with his head held high, stood in the ranks of the top students of the Song Dynasty, walked into the main hall of discussing politics, and became a disciple of the emperor.But he was very obedient, and he did not report to the Ministry of Officials to be an official candidate after passing the exam, but returned to the eunuch Liang's mansion as a servant.So, why did this come out, just to write "come here" on the Golden Luan Hall? No, how touching, how gorgeous and dazzling the friendship between master and servant is! The master satisfies the servant's desire for fame and fame, allowing him to leap to the dragon gate and become a disciple of the emperor; and the servant is loyal, serving as a servant for a day and serving the leader forever. The above is just a special case. Eunuch Liang's coverage is nationwide. How can he only let his own family's fertilizer flow back repeatedly? What he wants is that the whole world's fertilizer and water flow to him. In the last years of Xuanhe, Zhao Ji personally recruited 800 Jinshi, more than 100 of whom were special court examinations.In the name of presenting the letter, these people are all the children of super rich businessmen. The characteristic is that they don't have money if they want it, and they give it whatever they want. Each person gave Liang Shicheng almost 10,000 guan, and had a chance to be selected in the imperial examination.These people saw with their own eyes that the eunuch Liang was standing next to the emperor, whispering something to the emperor, and whoever got in and whoever was dismissed later had results. Liang Shicheng not only manipulated the country secretly, but also manipulated the officialdom in front of the emperor!This kind of thing is almost spread all over the country, there is a eunuch Liang in the palace, he is better than Zai Zhi. Therefore, Liang Shicheng has a title - "hidden phase".He finally succeeded, and the number one black hand behind the scenes of the Song Dynasty turned the clouds and rains upside down, turning the world upside down.After achieving this step, even Cai Jing, the real prime minister, bowed his head and took the initiative to visit with his eldest son to draw closer relations. Around the seventh year of Zhenghe (1117 A.D.), Liang Shicheng's status as a hidden figure was first established. He knew the truth that starting a business is difficult and even more difficult to maintain a business, and he did not rest on his laurels.He wants to constantly improve his prestige status. So, he joined Gen Yue's construction project. Gen Yue, this artificial mountain is not just a garden for the emperor.At that time, it was the largest government project. Participating in it was a symbol of status, and controlling it was a manifestation of the emperor's favor.Liang Shicheng was keenly aware of this, and stretched out his hand to grab it, adding new weight to his position in Zhao Ji's heart and in the hearts of all officials. From then on, he worked hard for Gen Yue, and tried his best to create a dreamy fairyland that was unprecedented in the world and even incomparable to the world-recognized Seven Wonders of Ancient Babylon Hanging Gardens. He and his friends succeeded, and Gen Yue was really built... What he didn't know was that Gen Yue was the mountain of destiny in the Great Song Dynasty.The process of its establishment was the process of the collapse of the Song Dynasty; the day it was completed was the time of the collapse of the Song Dynasty! Around 1117 AD, no one could have imagined this.Liang Shicheng threw himself on the construction site and completed Gen Yue's second step.The second step is to cover the scenic spots everywhere along the original mountain trend. Check the original data, the title is as follows: Gen Yue is more than ten miles wide, and its peak is ninety steps high.The highest point is Jianjie Pavilion.In this way, the mountain is divided into two parts, namely the East and West Ridges. In Dongling there are Eluhua Hall, Library, Hall of Eight Immortals, Zishiyan, Qizhendeng, Lanxiu Pavilion, and Longyin Hall; Shoushan Mountain in the south of the mountain is steep, with two peaks standing side by side, and there are Yanchi Pond and Xiya Pavilion at the bottom; Xuan, Xizhuang, Chaoyun Pavilion, Bailongbai, Zhuolong Gorge, Panxiu, Lianguang, Kuayun Santing, Luohanyan; then to the west there is Wansong Ridge, and there is Yicui Tower beside the ridge. There are connections on the top of the ridge and the bottom of the ridge. There is a flat land under the pass, which is dug into a square marsh. There are two lands in the marsh. The two pavilions of Luzhu and Fuyang are built in the east; the two pavilions of Meizhu and Xuelang are built in the west. From here, go back up to Jieting Pavilion, the highest peak along the Deng Road. On the left side of the pavilion are the two pavilions of Jimu and Xiaosen, and on the right of the pavilion are the two pavilions of Luyun and Banshan.To the north of Jieting Pavilion is the Jinglong River, which draws water from the river to flow into the mountains, splashes pearls and jade, and winds the jade belt.Not far westward from Jieting, there is a small pavilion named Shuyu.To the west of Shuyuxuan, the roads are all paved with gravel, and there are Alchemy Pavilion, Ningzhen Temple and Qishan Pavilion beside the road. Looking down at the riverside from the Yishan Pavilion, you can see Gaoyang Wine Shop, Qingxu Pavilion Sculpture, and Wu Pavilion Cloud Windows.On the north bank of the Jinglong River, Shengjun Nunnery, Jianyun Terrace, Xiaoxian Pavilion, and Feicen Pavilion are lined up, and its tributaries meander to the south, forming another mountain villa, which is unique. In addition to Nanshan, there is another hill, which is named Furong City.There are other houses built outside the Jinglong River, and the layout is more exquisite than that of Furong City. The above is the second step of Gen Yue's project, the original state of the various landscapes. It is said to be in its original state because it has a third step.This last step is where the essence of Gen Yue lies. The previous things are comparable to the purchased Qingshui Building. The third step is to decorate the Qingshui real estate. Speaking of decoration, it is a headache for me and other mortals. A few days ago, a friend lamented to me, saying that decoration is more serious than having an affair, and it costs more than anything else.I believe everyone feels the same. When it comes to decoration, it is endless. A house of 100 square meters has a price, and the most expensive one also has a label. What about horses? With Zhao Ji's artistic taste, the humanistic essence of the Song Dynasty, and the richness of China's land, is it conceivable how far Gen Yue's decoration can go? At least Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng and others were unexpected. Firstly, they were confined to the capital, so their horizons were limited; , but also to guard against new enemies.So they had to stay in the capital and could not go anywhere. Zhao Ji is not good either, what he has is taste and appreciation, not originality.He has never traveled thousands of miles or seen everything, so he can only sit at the dining table like a diner, waiting for the chefs to prepare the dishes before they can taste them. This task was circling in the minds of all the bosses, and finally Cai Jing came up with the idea.The reason why it was him was determined by the style tone of this decoration. As a northerner, Zhao Ji has always yearned for the beautiful and rich south. Due to the precepts of his ancestors, he could not travel south of the Yangtze River like the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties later, so he wanted to decorate Genyue as the water town in his dream. Among the three giants in Beijing, only Cai Jing was demoted to the Yangtze River and lived by the West Lake in Hangzhou.How difficult this period of relegation was at the time, but it has been transformed into a precious wealth at this time. What he saw and heard along the way, and the people he came into contact with, became his capital.He said to Zhao Ji, Your Majesty, the decoration is divided into two steps. The first step is to purchase materials.You like the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River. It just so happens that I met a capable person in the south. His surname is Zhu.