Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Zhu Zhanji is a Good Comrade

Zhu Zhanji is a good emperor, not a small one, but a great one. He is diligent in political affairs, resumes production (don't blame me for talking nonsense, good emperors are similar), cares about the suffering of the people, and he often goes to private visits to the people, but it is definitely not the way of Emperor Qianlong going to the south of the Yangtze River. , do not apportion to the local government, do not increase the burden on the local government, and only travel with guards every time. Once, he went to visit his father’s grave (Yingling), and when he came back, he passed by Changping (now Changping District, Beijing), and saw a few old farmers working hard in the farmland. The emperor naturally liked such model workers, He asked the guards around him to call a farmer to come over and ask why they worked so hard. It is estimated that the farmer did not know his identity, so the emperor got an answer that he could never have imagined.

The farmer replied to him: We cultivate in spring, cultivate in summer, and harvest rice in autumn. If we are lazy at any time, our life for the year will be lost.He couldn't even pay the land rent, so he had to work non-stop every day to support his wife and children. Zhu Zhanji sighed, and then he realized that these people worked so hard not for his country, but just to survive. Such an answer also made Zhu Zhanji very embarrassed, so he had no choice but to smooth things over and say: "Then you can rest in winter." This time it was the farmer's turn to sigh, and he said: "In winter, the government's corvees are sent down, and we still have to work hard."

Zhu Zhanji looked at the waists of the farmers in the field who couldn't straighten up, feeling a lot, and ordered the guards to prepare to return to the palace. The farmer probably didn't know the identity of the person who asked him the question, and he never imagined that the conversation between him and this person would be passed down in history. Zhu Zhanji returned to the palace, wrote an article overnight, described his experience, and sent it to all the ministers. He said emotionally: "The people work so hard to make a living. How can we not cherish the power of the people?" .”

Of course, it is not certain whether His Majesty's exclamation will be able to touch the veterans below, but we can see from this story that Zhu Zhanji is a sensible person and a person who can understand the sufferings of the common people people. In fact, because his grandfather Mr. Zhu Di is too mighty, he will beat anyone who dares to disobey him, and sometimes he will take the initiative to find trouble for others. The burden, the army needs food, migrant workers, and a lot of money.Zhu Di himself neither farms nor makes money, he will ask the lower officials for it, and the officials and adults will naturally not farm the land, and they will put all the burdens on the common people.

So in the later period of Yongle, fleeing from famine had occurred in many places, and production had suffered great damage. Zhu Zhanji did not have the great ambitions of his grandfather, but he knew very well that it was time to recuperate. Fortunately, his father left him assistants like "San Yang". Facing the current situation of people's poor livelihood, Zhu Zhanji is eager to try and do a big job. But before going big, he had to take care of someone first. Mr. Zhu Gaoxu finally couldn't bear it anymore. He lamented that he found the wrong job, what to do, and he chose to be a conspirator. Although the competition in this industry is not fierce, the quality requirements are extremely high. Although there are successful people like Yao Guangxiao as his glorious example, there is no guarantee. own success.

If you want to be a successful villain or conspirator, the key lies in improving your own quality. Zhu Gaoxu's quality is not good, and he has been conspiring for decades but there is no result. Several emperors are constantly going up and down in front of his eyes. Now even his junior Zhu Zhanji has also come to power. As a conspirator, Zhu Gaoxu's career is a failure Yes, it's really messed up too badly. What is even more unacceptable is that his desire to rebel has become an open secret. Everyone from the emperor to the common people knows that this gentleman wants to rebel. Work, by comparison, Mr. Zhu Gaoxu can be regarded as a disgrace to this industry, and he is quite ridiculed by his peers.

Nothing has been achieved for more than 20 years, and the rebellion is well known to everyone. All of this not only insulted Mr. Zhu Gaoxu's personality, but also insulted his IQ. I don't want to wait any longer, and I don't want to bear it anymore, brother, is it easy for me to hang around for more than 20 years!Rebellion! Although Zhu Gaoxu was agitated, he did not lose his mind. Before the rebellion, he sent his confidant Mei Qing to the capital to find someone. He believed that with years of friendship, this person would definitely be able to stand by his side. If you pull this person over, great things will happen!

In July of the first year of Xuande (1426), Mei Qing sneaked into the capital to find Zhang Fu, Zhu Gaoxu's good friend. Zhang Fu warmly received him, and after discussing their friendship together, he asked Zhu Gaoxu's intentions and Mei Qing's intentions for coming. Zhang Fu was a straightforward person, and he didn't even have time to give Mei Qing a place to sleep. Qing arranged, tied him up, and gave it to Zhu Zhanji overnight. friend?friendship?Pooh!current affairs! Zhu Zhanji knew the news, but he didn't want to do it. He hoped to resolve it peacefully. In order to achieve this goal, he sent Zhongguan Hou Tai to Le'an, Shandong Province to find Zhu Gaoxu, hoping that the other party can rein in the precipice.

But what happened next was really unexpected. Hou Tai came here at the emperor's order, and he was greeted by the arrogant Zhu Gaoxu. This rebel brother was so arrogant that he even sat facing the emperor's envoy to the south. Seeing that posture, he meant that I rebelled and I was afraid of whom. And what Zhu Gaoxu said below is obviously what he said in his heart: "During the Jingnan period, without my efforts, how could I be here today? As a result, Taizong (Zhu Di) listened to the slander and sealed me here. Renzong wanted to win me over with gold and silk, and the current emperor wanted to use the ancestral system to suppress me. How could I May live here for a long time!"

Then, he took the initiative to show Hou Tai his military weapons, and said blatantly: "These can be rampant in the world! Go back and tell your master (return to your master) and arrest those treacherous officials who incited him Give it to me, and then talk to him (Xu discusses what I want)." Look at these words, the so-called "return to your master" and "Xu discuss what I want", give three points of color, but want to open a dyeing workshop!Shameless is well-deserved. From ancient times to the present, scoundrels like Zhu Gaoxu have one common characteristic. They are clearly plotting against themselves, but they always like to slander others. To save face for him, they are shameless.

There is really no reason to deal with this kind of rascal. The best way is to give him a loud slap in the face. At this point, if you don’t fight, you have to fight. Zhu Zhanji held a military meeting to discuss how to counter the rebellion. At that time, the ministers believed that Yangwu Hou Xue Lu should be sent to lead troops to counter the rebellion, and Zhang Fu was very active, hoping to Take 20,000 soldiers and horses to wipe out his old friends. But Yang Rong raised an objection. He believed that under the current circumstances, if the emperor conquered himself, he would definitely be able to defeat Zhu Gaoxu in one fell swoop. Zhang Fu was not convinced, and started arguing with Yang Rong. The two sides couldn't settle down, and the matter came to a crossroads. Zhu Zhanji was also undecided. It was easy to send troops out to fight, but it could not guarantee victory. Although his own conquest was imposing, it was too dangerous to guarantee safety. When he was hesitating, Minister Xia Yuanji only used one sentence to strengthen Zhu Zhanji's belief in his own conquest: "Has the emperor forgotten about Li Jinglong?" Li Jinglong?Yes, it's the idiot Li Jinglong. When Emperor Jianwen handed over the military power to this idiot, the result was a complete defeat. Thinking of the ending of this idiot, Zhu Zhanji immediately made up his mind to conscript himself! Who said that Li Jinglong is an idiot and a waste?Judging from this matter, the trash is also useful, at least his stupidity served as a warning to future generations, the merit is immeasurable! On August 10, the first year of Xuande (1426), Zhu Zhanji personally conquered Le'an, and the army moved quickly. On August 20, it had arrived outside Le'an City. Although Zhu Gaoxu is a rogue, but if a rogue wants to do something, he can't rely on cheating, he still needs some skills. At first he thought it was Xue Lu who led the troops to quell the chaos, but he didn't pay attention to it. He didn't expect that his good nephew would come in person. He panicked and organized the soldiers to resist, but few listened to his orders. Only at this time did Zhu Gaoxu realize that he was so fragile. Zhu Zhanji is really not an idle person. During the journey, he once asked his ministers: "How do you think Zhu Gaoxu will act?" A minister replied: "Le'an is too small, he may attack Jinan to resist the army." Some ministers also said: "He has been in Nanjing for many years, and he will definitely lead troops south." Zhu Zhanji shook his head with a smile, and said: "You are not right. Although Jinan is very close, it is not easy to attack, and the army marches fast, and he has no time to attack. Nanjing is even more impossible. The families of his men They are all in Le'an, how could they be willing to go south?" "He will always be waiting for me in Le'an." The fact is true, Zhu Gaoxu has been in Le'an, not because he wants to fight to the death, but because he has nowhere to go. After the army arrived, they did not attack by force. They just shot the defenders with firecrackers and bows. Zhu Zhanji fully understood the situation on the battlefield and the psychology of the soldiers, so he sent someone to tie the order to the arrow and shoot it into the city. At the price, the people in the city were ready to move, and even the guards around Zhu Gaoxu had their own plans. When they looked at Zhu Gaoxu, their eyes were like looking at a golden pig's head. Zhu Gaoxu was so embarrassed that he had to send someone to deliver a letter expressing his willingness to go out of the city and surrender. He just hoped to have one night to say goodbye to his relatives, so he surrendered himself. That's what Zhu Gaoxu said, and he did the same. The next day he was about to open the city gate and surrender to Zhu Zhanji, but his subordinate Wang Bin held him back and said something righteous to him: "Better die in battle than be captured!" (Better die in battle than be captured) Zhu Gaoxu was dumbfounded, he was ready to surrender, yet this subordinate still has such backbone.He immediately lifted his spirits, saying that he must live and die with the city! After delivering an impassioned speech, Zhu Gaoxu walked back to his commanding position with his head held high. Then he changed a path, sneaked out of the city, surrendered to Zhu Zhanji, and delivered his surrender speech: "I deserve death for all my crimes, and all will be punished by the emperor!" That's the end of this farce. Zhu Gaoxu is a buffoon through and through. He can't do it as a conspirator, and he failed in rebellion. Not only has no quality, but also character. "Your Majesty is the only one who dies for his crimes." If you can't be a good person, you can't even be a bad person. Such a living treasure is really speechless. Zhu Gaoxu, your name is the weak. In this farcical play, Zhu Gaoxu played the buffoon, but this play also unintentionally made a small character. After Zhu Gaoxu came out and surrendered, according to the rules, the emperor had to send someone to punish him for his crimes. In layman's terms, he was swearing. Of course, it was impossible for the emperor to do this job by himself. So the emperor appointed a censor beside him to complete the work of cursing people, but what the emperor never expected was that the censor he appointed at will turned out to be famous and brilliant. After the censor took the order, he stepped forward and faced the former high-ranking and powerful prince without the slightest fear, and began to count his crimes. look sideways. (The words are brand new and the voice is fierce) Zhu Gaoxu's fragile heart was hit hard again. Under the fierce offensive of the censor, he was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head, and he lay on the ground trembling non-stop. (shuddering) This scene left a deep impression on Emperor Zhu Zhanji. He believed that this person must be a talented person. After returning, he immediately ordered this person to patrol Jiangxi. (note, not the governor) It is the duty of the censor to patrol the field, and it is not a high promotion, but the emperor's move is obviously to train this person and then reuse him. In history, it is not uncommon for treacherous villains to gain the favor and trust of the emperor by relying on some occasional flashes of performance, thus causing harm to the country (such as peace and gentry), but it turns out that this time, Zhu Zhanji was right. This resonant censor is indeed a rare talent. Twenty years later, he will step forward to save the country from peril, and achieve a great cause, which will last forever. The censor's name is Yu Qian. Although this rebellion ended in a very dramatic way, the funny did not end there. Mr. Zhu Gaoxu will use his funny performance to stage the sequel of the comedy "Zhu Gaoxu's Rebellion" for us. Zhu Zhanji is indeed a kind person. Although many people persuaded him to kill Zhu Gaoxu, he did not do so. He just locked him in a cell at Xi'an Gate. It is said that he had done his utmost to Zhu Gaoxu, but Zhu Gaoxu was just a An unrepentant person. One day, Zhu Zhanji thought of his uncle, so he went to visit him. The two didn't say a few words, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly stretched out his foot and hooked Zhu Zhanji to the ground. Every time I see this place, I can't figure it out. I always don't know how Zhu Gaoxu thinks, whether his head is full of paste. Since the feet can be hooked, it means that the two are very close. Whether you go up to bump, bite, pinch, or kick, they can all play a role. You don’t use so many methods, but just hook him. Just like the pranks of a few-year-old child, it is really dumbfounding. The farce was not over yet, and Zhu Zhanji, who had been plotted against, was very angry, and the honest man was also angry, so he ordered Zhu Gaoxu to be covered with a copper cylinder of three hundred catties, which meant that he would not be allowed to move again.But what happened next was really incredible. Mr. Zhu Gaoxu suddenly stopped working as a comedian and began to practice weightlifting. He was so strong that he actually lifted the cylinder, but because his head was covered and he could not see clearly, he could only walk around staggeringly. Just stay and stay, why do you have to move? With this movement, life is gone. Zhu Zhanji saw the farce from the beginning to the end, and he couldn't bear it anymore, so he sent someone to hold down the big vat, and then found a lot of coal, pressed it on the vat, lit the coal red, and executed Zhu Gaoxu. This method of execution is very similar to the practice of the famous Jiangnan dish called Huaji, but the name has to be changed to "Being Huazhu (Zhu)". Mr. Zhu Gaoxu ended his colorful life in this way. His life, from a conspirator to a comedian to a weightlifter, was a failure every step of the way. But we really want to thank him for his funny behavior What makes our history so colorful. I have doubted the authenticity of this record several times, because it is really difficult for me to understand the rules and reasons of this Mr. Zhu Gaoxu's behavior, and I suspect that he is a mentally abnormal person.But in history, human behavior is indeed difficult to understand. Regardless of whether this Mr. Zhu Gaoxu is mentally normal or not, and whether the historical records are true or not, Zhu Zhanji finally got rid of this last burden and went to be his wise king wholeheartedly. Zhu Zhanji's reign was not long, only ten years, and his father's reign was only eleven years, but the short eleven years he and his father ruled were recognized by later generations of historians as the The "rule of benevolence and publicity" can be compared with the "rule of Wenjing".It is a prosperous age in Chinese history. Why is there such a high evaluation, where does the prosperous age come from?It comes from recuperating and reviving, quiet and nourishing the people. In fact, the self-development ability of ordinary people in feudal society is not bad. Even if you don’t give him ideological education, he knows that he needs to eat, earn money, and live a good life. Overwhelmed people will work hard if they have a little respite. Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was such an emperor who didn't disturb the people. He didn't have the great talent and general plan like his grandfather, but he knew very well that the common people were also ordinary people, and they had to live their lives, so they should be given room to survive. During his ten years in power, he worked diligently every day, worked overtime, listened to the opinions of ministers, dealt with various government affairs, and was able to properly handle the conflict with Mongolia. , nothing major has happened. This is not a good thing for a person who narrates the story like me, but it is of great merit to the people back then. A good emperor is like a good referee on a modern football field. He is everywhere, running tirelessly, but never interrupting the rhythm of the game easily. Make yourself the protagonist on the field. Such a referee is a good referee. Not disturbing the lives of the people, increasing their burdens, doing what is right for them, governing the people like water, and making the most of the situation is the highest state of the emperor's governance. Such an emperor is a good emperor. Zhu Zhanji is a good emperor through and through, and from the perspective of governing the country and the people, he is much better than his grandfather. Zhu Zhanji is a wise emperor and a good emperor, but he also has his own pain. Is there anyone in the world who can make the emperor suffer? Yes, such people do exist.They are those ministers who usually kneel down in the hall and seem to be respectful. These ministers are by no means so obedient as they seem. Behind their humble posture is a behemoth with terrifying power. Since the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination has produced many civil officials and established the civil service system.After hundreds of years, this system finally blossomed in the Ming Dynasty, cultivating a by-product.Those elites who leaped to the dragon gate by virtue of the imperial examinations formed an extremely powerful group-civilian group through the relationship of fellow villagers, colleagues, and colleagues. Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Gaochi was recognized as an honest man, a good emperor, but this good emperor was scolded severely by a minister named Li Shimian. Where to start? It turned out that Mr. Zhu Gaochi did several things. After he ascended the throne, he had to change his maid, and the new king ascended the throne. This request seems not too much. In addition, he also renovated the palace (the scale is not large). Finally, due to physical discomfort, he once had I didn't go to court to see the ministers for several days. These things don’t seem to be a big deal, but Li Shimian wrote a very long letter, scolding the emperor. The full text is very logical, and he doesn’t swear at people. The level is very high. The excerpt is as follows: The so-called refurbishment of the palace-"the so-called saving people's power is also here"; The so-called selection of maids-"the so-called ones who are cautious about their desires" (this sentence is more ruthless); The so-called not going to court for a few days-"the so-called diligent political affairs are like this" (you, Li Shimian, have never had a rest?); It's not over yet, after the most ruthless words, I will make a concluding speech-"The so-called Wuzheng scholars are here". The above, translated into popular language, can be understood as extravagance and lust, lustful, passive and sabotage, and not doing business properly. Although the big fat Zhu Gaochi has a good temper, he still couldn't help it and beat up Li Shimian. His anger was also justified. The hat is really embarrassing. After all, it was still a feudal society back then, but this Li Shimian really has a sense of modern democracy. He reprimanded the emperor for not being a cadre, no wonder Fatty Zhu was angry. Fatty Zhu was so angry that he fell ill, but Li Shimian survived despite being beaten. When Zhu Zhanji succeeded to the throne, he released the man who scolded his father and praised him. over him. Frankly speaking, what Li Shimian said really needs to be corrected, but as an emperor in a feudal society, these behaviors are really not enough to be labeled as such a big one.In fact, there is a complex historical and political background behind these so-called blunt advice. Li Shimian's behavior is not isolated, he represents a group of people, and this group of people is the civil official group. The characteristics of the Civil Service Group are as follows: Read poetry and books, especially Confucianism, and study the so-called sages all day long. Adhere to the principle of being more lenient than self-discipline and stricter than others, and demand others with the standards of saints. (part) Good at swearing, fighting, gang fights. Motto: It doesn't matter if you are killed, you will leave your name in history. It should be explained that this is just a general characteristic of civil official groups, and it does not negate the positive significance of civil official groups. In fact, a large part of outstanding civil officials are strict with themselves. Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty worked hard, was not lustful, and had no other entertainment. Normally, there should be nothing to blame, but the civil servants who are good at researching problems still found loopholes. This Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty didn't have any special favorite activities, but he had a small hobby - fighting crickets in his spare time.Although this is not considered a healthy cultural and sports activity, it is not a bad habit.The emperor also has his own way of leisure, you can't let him do a set of radio gymnastics every day for entertainment. But even this little hobby has been criticized many times by the civil servants. Later, I don’t know who is wicked, and even gave this good emperor who was exhausted from work and the country to death, the nickname "Emperor Cricket". Excessive indeed. The behavior of these people can be described as overcorrection. No matter who is the emperor, I am afraid that they will not be able to bear it. If you want to beat him, it will still fulfill him. It was an honorable thing to be beaten for being righteous and outspoken. For example, Li Shimian was an example. After being beaten, not only did he have no regrets, but he was also complacent and proud of being beaten. In the Ming Xuanzong era, the power of the civil official group was further developed, and the power of the cabinet became more and more powerful, and the so-called "voting draft" appeared. Drafting, also known as articles, refers to ministers drafting opinions on the handling of various memorials, attaching these opinions to the memorials, and sending them to the emperor for review. The appearance of the bills is inevitable. Zhu Zhanji obviously does not have the work energy of his ancestors, and he is still too busy all day long. It is impossible to read and process many memorials one by one, so he arranges cabinet staff to browse the memorials on his behalf. And put forward handling opinions, so he will be much more relaxed. Some people may ask, in this case, what power does the emperor have, wouldn't he be emptied? Please rest assured, all the emperors throughout the ages are not idiots except for a very few. They only gave the cabinet votes to make them work, and the emperor still left behind to suppress the power of the cabinet. This latter is the power of consent. Don't forget that the ministers are only working for the emperor. The ministers can only put forward their opinions on whether a government order can be implemented, and then write the words "please the leader for approval" and send it to the emperor for review. If the emperor disagrees, you are writing a thousand words. Tens of thousands of words are useless. Zhu Zhanji grasped this point well. He effectively mobilized the enthusiasm of the ministers and asked them to work hard, but at the same time blocked the possibility of their servants bullying the master and turning themselves into men.All drafted memorials can only be implemented after the emperor's approval. Since the emperor used the red pen to give instructions, this power of the emperor is called "approving red". So far, by the time of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, the power of the emperor was officially divided into two parts: "voting drafts" and "approving reds". Zhu Yuanzhang would never have imagined that in less than thirty years, the political system he worked so hard to create Can be easily broken and altered. In the more than two hundred years of Ming Dynasty history since then, the power of "ticket drafting" has always been occupied by cabinet scholars, but the power of "approving red" has not always been in the hands of the emperor. Occupied by a group of people who have stepped into the political arena. These people are eunuchs. Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty had never done anything bad in his life, nor was he abusive. Apart from being fond of fighting crickets and being said a few words by others, he had no bad deeds, except for one thing. Some people in later generations even believed that this wrong thing done by Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty laid the groundwork for the demise of the Ming Dynasty. What the heck did he do that was outrageous and inhumane? To put it bluntly, it's nothing, he just engaged in a little education business-teaching eunuchs to read. In the first year of Xuande (1426), Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty suddenly ordered to set up an "inner book hall" to teach eunuchs to read. Everyone should know that in China, where the concept of family succession is extremely serious, it is a last resort to go to the eunuch to eat. That's all, these people naturally don't have much culture, and the purpose of Zhu Zhanji's opening of the school is precisely to educate these eunuchs. But he would not have imagined that this cultural enlightenment movement not only swept away the illiteracy of the eunuchs, but also swept away the last obstacle that prevented them from entering the political arena. You know, it's not hard to be a bad guy, but it's hard to be an extremely bad guy.Uneducated bad guys who engage in petty theft, highway robbery and other activities can only harass and harass their own neighbors and ordinary people at most, while educated bad guys can bring disaster to the country and the people and endanger the Quartet. Judging from the subsequent development of the matter, Zhu Zhanji's move has indeed cultivated many top bad guys. Many people believe that Zhu Zhanji's measure is indeed wrong, but his original intention is to let these eunuchs learn some culture, and has no other intention. Is it really? I don’t think so. In my opinion, Zhu Zhanji did it on purpose. From a legal perspective, he knew that his behavior would lead to the eunuch’s participation in power, but he hoped or allowed this result to happen. The emperor was kind, but not stupid, and his move had a political purpose. To reveal the secret behind his behavior, we must lead to the following topic: How eunuchs are made. Let me explain first that this topic has nothing to do with physiology, nor does it explore the fatal knife. It only talks about this special group and the real reasons for their participation in politics. Everyone is very familiar with the term eunuch, and most people will add a dead word in front of this title, which is very refreshing and easy to understand when scolding people. In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, it was not easy to become an eunuch. The so-called eunuch was the leader of the eunuchs, and not everyone was qualified to be called an eunuch. Not to mention eunuchs, it is not easy to be an ordinary eunuch. In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs were a sought-after job. You know, in this world, it's not easy to make a fool of yourself. Even if you have the courage to suffer the knife, you still need to be lucky to enter the palace. Don't think that being an eunuch is as simple as going through a selection interview.Official castration sites castrate only those who have been selected.To put it bluntly, if people look down on you, you don't even have the right to be eunuched. In the Ming Dynasty, people often castrated themselves without official permission, and then went to Beijing to become eunuchs.Many of them were not selected and returned home for the rest of their lives. Of course, there were also successful ones (such as the famous Wei Zhongxian). In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, because there were too many people who wanted to be eunuchs, many people who aspired to be eunuchs did not have the opportunity to be dealt with by the government, so they cut off their descendants with fearless courage, but they failed to enter the palace later.They cannot start a family and start a business, but can only wander around. These people naturally become factors of social instability. In response to this situation, the late Ming government issued a very special decree: Self-castration is strictly prohibited! All I can say about this is that it's a wonderful world. There were many levels of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. When they first entered the palace, they could only serve as pawns, long followers, and imperial officials. If they performed well, they could be promoted to Jian Cheng. The famous eunuch. It can be seen that it is not easy to be a eunuch. Eunuchs have specialized institutions, a total of twenty-four yamen, with twelve supervisors, four bureaus, and eight divisions. Only eunuchs who command the highest eunuchs can be called eunuchs. , but also to deal with some government affairs. In fact, in these eunuchs' yamen, there is also a distinction between cold and hot, the serious ones have power over the world, and the light ones are as light as a feather.If a eunuch who has just entered the palace wants to make his mark, he must first see which department he is assigned to. If you are assigned to the Supervisor of Rituals or the Supervisor of Horses, then congratulations first, your eunuch will have a bright future, if you continue to work hard, it is possible to have a glorious ancestor or a long-lasting stigma. Because these two supervisory bureaus are the most powerful eunuch institutions, and the supervisor of ceremonies is in charge of internal and external chapters, which is equivalent to the emperor's private secretary. Red right. When it came to Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, because there were too many documents, Zhu Zhanji himself didn't have time to read them, so he asked the person in charge of ceremonies to copy them down according to the content of the draft, and exercise the power of approving reds on his behalf. This ghostwriter for the emperor has a special title - Eunuch Bingbi, Supervisor of Rites. As a result, the only authority in the world that can suppress the power of drafting cabinet votes fell into the hands of the eunuch Bingbi. In the late Ming Dynasty, when the emperor did not care about government affairs, some eunuchs would make their own decisions and issue orders indiscriminately, and the officials below could not sue even if they wanted to.Because you can only sue the memorial to the emperor at most, but the person who reviewed the memorial on behalf of the emperor is probably the person you want to sue, so can you sue this lawsuit? It can be seen from this that the eunuch Bingbi is really powerful. But this eunuch holding the pen is not the most powerful eunuch, there is another eunuch above him-the eunuch who is in charge of the seal. This is easy to understand. In China, where the seal culture is very developed, no matter how much you write, you can’t do anything if I don’t stamp you. And once the eunuch in the palm of the hand and the eunuch of the East Factory (such as Feng Bao and Wei Zhongxian) concurrently served as the eunuch of the East Factory, it would really be powerful and powerful.In fact, almost all the famous eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty came from the Si Li Jian. If there was an exhibition hall of famous eunuchs, the Si Li Jian must be the place where the most portraits were hung. The inspector of ceremonies is only out of prison. And as an ambitious young eunuch, you should use these people as your idols, work hard, and strive to leave your name in history! (Of course, generally speaking, it is notoriety) If you are lucky enough to be able to be the eunuch in the palm of the chief of ceremonies, it means that your eunuch career has reached the peak of glory, and you have become the best eunuchs, and you are a successful person among eunuchs.If you happen to do some bad things, then your reputation must not be limited to the present, but will be passed down from generation to generation, for everyone to talk about and revil at leisure. If you failed to enter the Prison of Rituals, but entered the Prison of the Horse, then I would also like to congratulate you. Zhi, Gu Dayong, etc. are all good role models for you. It must be explained that this so-called Yumajian is not in charge of horses, but in charge of imperial military amulets.Speaking of this, everyone should also know why Yumajian is a promising department. The Supervisor of Rites and the Supervisor of Yuma, one civil and one military, became the most prominent eunuch departments, and all the eunuchs in the palace tried their best to enter these two departments. Where there is good, there must be bad. If you are unfortunately assigned to Zhidian Supervisor and Duzhi Supervisor, then you will be miserable.Because although the names of these two prisons are magnificent, they only manage one thing-cleanliness. Not only are the conditions in these two prisons difficult, no one thinks highly of them, they don't even have office space (it seems that they don't need it), and the work of sweeping fallen leaves in autumn and snow in winter is very hard. Such a department naturally cannot attract many young eunuchs. After introducing the struggle history of the eunuchs, let's talk about the eunuchs' participation in politics. In the minds of many of us, eunuch politics probably looks like this: On a dark and stormy night, in a gloomy house, several eunuchs with hideous faces were plotting under the very weak candlelight. A eunuch said with a sinister smile (standard expression) to the people next to him: "Shangshu Wang XX hinders our plan to seize power, we must kill him!" At this time, another eunuch also smirked (maintaining his image) and said, "I think it's better to kill the servant Zhang first." In the end, the head eunuch (usually the worst one) said: "Follow the plan, get rid of those loyal ministers, and then replace the emperor, let's take the throne!" In the past, the image of eunuchs in people's minds was like this. As long as eunuchs were mentioned, they would be associated with bad guys, and then the loyal officials in the court fought unremittingly with the bad guys for justice and ideals. If they succeeded, justice finally defeated evil. Failure is a human tragedy. Is it really? I don't think so. People tend to pay too much attention to the behavior of those so-called loyal ministers, but rarely find the horror of these ministers. In our previous topic on how to make a prime minister, we analyzed the separation of power and monarchy in the Ming Dynasty, and used a tug-of-war metaphor. The emperor and ministers stood on both sides of the rope, constantly tug-of-war. Zhu Yuanzhang is an excellent athlete , Physical strength is good, when he is alive, no one can pull him out. His son Zhu Di is also a strong athlete. Although he established a cabinet, he was still able to take the initiative. When it came to Zhu Zhanji, the situation was very different. The civil official group was so powerful that even the emperor couldn't help them. 在我们很多人的印象中，皇帝是想干什么就能干什么的，没有人能够管得了。可是实际上，明朝的皇帝是不容易当的，那些大臣们就像一群苍蝇，不但要向你提意见，甚至有时候还会挖苦你，讽刺你，你还不好把他怎么样。 明仁宗心地善良，却因为小事被骂得气急败坏，他的儿子朱瞻基行为端正，只喜欢斗蛐蛐，也被那些人当成罪状来批判，老百姓有自己的爱好，皇帝居然不能有。 绳子那一头是一股极其庞大的力量，那些在我们看来无比正直的大臣们有着充分的力量控制朝政，他们有学识，有谋略，有办事能力，有很多的同门、同事。 而绳子的这一头，只有皇帝一个人。 皇帝那所谓的至高无上的权力在文官集团的大爷们眼中也算不得什么，骂你，讽刺你，那是为了国家大事，那是忠言逆耳，你能说他不对吗？ 而且这些大爷们既不能杀，也不能轻易打，杀了他们，公务你自己一个人能干吗？ 劳动模范朱元璋老先生自然可以站出来说：把他们都杀光，我能干！ 可是朱瞻基不能这样说。 于是在太祖皇帝死去二十年后，绳子失去了平衡，获得了票拟权的内阁集团变得更强大，皇帝一个人就要支撑不住了。这样下去，他将被大臣们任意摆布。 苦苦支撑的朱瞻基一步步地被拉了过去，正在这时，他看见旁边站着一个人，于是他对这个人说：“你来，和我一起拔！” 从此这个人就参加了拔河，并成为这场游戏的一个重要组成部分。 这个人的名字就叫太监。 相信现在大家已经理解了皇帝的痛苦，他并非无所不能，他也要求人，大臣们饱读诗书，却并不那么听话，而要制衡这些不听话的人，皇帝能够选择的只有太监。 太监真的都是坏人吗？ 至少皇帝不会这么认为，在他看来，这些人很好，从小陪伴他一起长大，带着他放风筝，陪着他玩耍，给他当马骑，而且十分服从。 我们往往误解太监和皇帝之间的关系，实际上，很多自幼和太监一起成长的皇帝是把太监当成自己的亲人的，换了你是皇帝，你到底是喜欢一个从小到大无话不说，十分听话的玩伴，还是那些表情严肃，经常批评自己，干涉自己行为的大臣？ 我想，任何一个人都会选择前者。 明朝的文官集团的权势已经到了十分猖狂的地步，他们不但干预朝政，批评皇帝（有些确实是故意找茬），还监控皇帝的私生活，不能随便旷工出去玩，不能好色，不能贪杯，虽然他们自己也干这些事，却不允许皇帝干（比如张居正）。 于是，皇帝们只剩下了一个选择： 让太监去制衡大臣。 如果弄清楚了这一点，我们就不必为王振受到的宠爱而吃惊，也不需要为刘瑾魏忠贤等人的专权而愤愤不平。 因为他们的出现是明代政治制度发展的必然，没有王振，还有李振，没有刘瑾，会有徐瑾。 太监就是这样被强行拉上皇帝的政治战车的，他们并不是天生的奸邪小人，那些文官们的行为也未必比他们好到哪里去，只不过他们出生低贱，且心理有些问题，所以行为比较偏激，更容易被人们反感。 综观整个明代，坏太监很多，好太监也不少，但十分神奇的是，无论太监如何猖獗，都无法危及皇帝本人的地位。要知道，中国历史上宦官权力最大、气焰最为嚣张的朝代并不是明朝，而是唐朝。 在唐朝后期，宦官完全操纵国家大权，甚至可以立废皇帝，俨然就是国家最高统治者，而在明朝，太监虽然专权结党，但皇帝要动手解决他们，只需要写一张小小的字条（明武宗）。 经过以上分析，我们应该对明宣宗教太监读书的目的有了一个大致的了解，这位聪明的皇帝是不会干无谓的事情的。 他要培养的并不是有文化、有追求的太监，而是战士。 为他而战的战士，足以对抗文官集团的战士。 太监不过是皇帝手中的棋子，仅此而已。 就这样，朱瞻基将他老祖宗朱元璋集中的权力又分散了出去，票拟权给了内阁，批红权由太监代理，但必须说明的是，由于批红权十分重要，所以历代明朝皇帝虽然委托太监代笔，却从未放松过对此权力的掌握，当然也有例外，以下三人就是代表：一个顽童，一个懒虫，还有一个工程师。 可以看出，这是一个稳固的政治权力体系，票拟权和批红权的斗争，实际上就是文官集团和皇帝及其代理人太监的斗争。 换句话说，如果谁能够同时控制票拟权和批红权，他就是真正的皇帝！ Is there such a person? 应该说，确实是有的，在我看来，有三个人做到了。虽然他们同时获得两大权力的途径和原因都各不相同，但很巧的是，这三位国家实际控制者的统治时期，正好对应上面所说的那三位不抓权代表的朝代。 这三位并不姓朱的皇帝分别是：“立皇帝”、“首席活太师”、“九千岁”。 这三位仁兄也将是我们后面文章中的主角，在这里先说一下“首席活太师”是什么意思。 明代的最高文官不是尚书，而是三个名誉称号——太师、太傅、太保。虽然这三个称号都是一品，却也有大小之分，其中以太师为最大。大家知道，所谓荣誉称号很多时候都是送给死人的，而能够在死后混到这三个称号的，也是十分厉害的人。 当然也有某些更厉害的人在活着的时候就得到过这三个称号，而第一个被封为最高文官太师的活人，正是这位掌控大权的仁兄。除此之外，他还被封为太傅，“活太师”加“活太傅”的荣誉在明代仅此一人。足见此人之强悍。 从某种意义上说，明代后期的政治格局正是在朱瞻基打下的基础上建立起来的，这个结构不能说好，也不能说不好，因为这似乎也是唯一能够制衡各方力量的办法。 别折腾了，就这么凑合着过吧。