Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The Hidden Enemy

To deal with foreign enemies, immediate internal fighting can be regarded as one of the glorious traditions of Chinese civilization. Soon, the members of the "Returning Homeland Mission" consciously started a vigorous internal struggle in accordance with this tradition. It is a bit funny to say that the cause of the struggle is not the uneven distribution of spoils, but the disagreement of personalities.Because Xu Youzhen is a compound talent with ideals, no morals, culture, and no discipline. Although he is ruthless and thick-skinned, he still wants to do things and has pursuits.

But Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang, these two brothers, have nothing but ambition and greed. If villains are divided into grades, Xu Youzhen is a classy villain, while Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang are the scum of villains. Discord between husband and wife can lead to divorce, but there is only one ending for politicians if they have disagreement in personality-life and death. Thus, the struggle between the bad guys begins. The conflict between Xu Youzhen, Shi Heng, and Cao Jixiang began shortly after the "Change of Seizing the Gate". They were originally grasshoppers on the same rope and had a good relationship. The quality of friends is too low.

After Xu Youzhen entered the cabinet, she began to manage the country's affairs and was busy with various affairs every day. After all, he was still a person with pursuit, but Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang were completely different. After they became prosperous, they were only keen on doing one thing—— Corruption and bribery, not only that, they also continue to install their own people in the court to confuse the court. For example, Comrade Shi Heng has sent several reports to Zhu Qizhen, asking for rewards for those who have made meritorious deeds, and there were as many as 4,000 people before and after!God knows where all these people came from. I guess he even counted the old woman who cooked in his kitchen that night (should have effectively guaranteed the logistics supply).

Cao Jixiang was not to be outdone, his adopted sons, nephews, and even relatives who could not reach him, such as seven aunts and eight wives, were all appointed officials, which is amazing. Every time Xu Youzhen sees such a smoky scene, she can't help but feel ashamed: How did I get together with these people back then?What quality? Although I am a conspirator, those two brothers can only be regarded as two gangsters at best. If I continue to mess with them, it will be too shameful. Having made up her mind, Xu Youzhen started to keep a distance from Cao and Shi, and didn't say hello when they met. He wanted to establish his own glorious image.

Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang finally found out that this highly educated man wanted to wash his hands and disembark and break with himself. If you break up, just break up, I'm afraid you won't succeed! In May of the first year of Tianshun (1457), the first internal struggle of the "Returning Home Mission" officially opened. On this day, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang and others were discussing matters in the court hall. Zhu Qizhen suddenly took out a memorial and read it out in public. Discipline and exclusion of dissidents should be punished. Mr. Cao Jixiang was dumbfounded at the time, he was at a loss, he opened his mouth to explain, but he didn't know what to say.

Zhu Qizhen didn't look at him, but smiled and said to Xu Youzhen: "It is a blessing for the country that Yu Shi dares to speak out." Xu Youzhen glanced at the embarrassed Cao Jixiang and smiled. The author of this memorial is Yang Xuan, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He is a small person, and according to the first law of political science, if a small person dares to impeach a big leader, the only conclusion is that someone ordered him to exclude the factors of personal insanity. I don't mention the person who instigated him, everyone knows that it is Xu Youzhen.

Xu Youzhen ignored the ashamed Cao Jixiang, and walked out of the hall triumphantly.He has every reason to be proud. As the chief assistant of the cabinet, he can mobilize all the resources of the civilian group to fight against his enemies. He has countless thugs (speech officers). In his opinion, this is a war without suspense. But he was wrong. Because his opponent is the only mortal enemy in the history of the Ming Dynasty that can confront the civil official group-the eunuch group. Having said that, the eunuch group at that time did not have much power, and it was difficult for Cao Jixiang, the supervisor of ceremonies, to fight against Xu Youzhen, the chief assistant of the cabinet.

In order to solve Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang thought hard all day long, and his hard work paid off. After a long period of business (thick black) research, he finally discovered Xu Youzhen's flaws, and came up with a brilliant idea. One day not long after, Cao Jixiang went to the palace to meet Zhu Qizhen. The monarch and his ministers were chatting, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Zhu Qizhen, the person he was talking to, had a sudden change of face, pale with shock. Why is there such a scene? Because Zhu Qizhen is very clear, he only told this matter to one person - Xu Youzhen. So he interrupted Cao Jixiang eagerly and asked how he knew.

"Xu Youzhen told me." (Shouzhi Youzhen) Then Cao Jixiang added with a questioning expression: "Isn't the emperor not clear? Everyone outside knows it!" This sentence also announced Xu Youzhen's ending: he is completely over. Betrayal and leaks are absolutely unbearable for the emperor.Since then, Zhu Qizhen has gradually moved away from Xu Youzhen, and no longer regards him as his confidant. Xu Youzhen was also puzzled by the Zhang Er King Kong. After much deliberation, he didn't understand how he had offended the emperor and received such a cold reception.Facing Zhu Qizhen's cold eyes, he had no way to argue and could not argue.

Cao Jixiang won, he finally achieved his goal and gave Xu Youzhen a beautiful counterattack.Of course Xu Youzhen would not tell him those secret things, so how did he know the content of the conversation? The secret of this trick is that when Xu Youzhen entered the palace to meet Zhu Qizhen, it was indeed only the two of them who talked, but there were three people who heard it, and the extra observer was the eunuch. Instigated by Cao Jixiang, these personal eunuchs of the emperor told him the content of each conversation, and then Cao Jixiang would inadvertently say these things that only the world and you and I knew, and made Xu Youzhen a treacherous minister who kept his mouth shut. .

Cao Jixiang was very proud, and celebrated with Shi Heng playing the crown, and became even more domineering from then on.It was no wonder that it was his turn, but what Cao Jixiang didn't expect was that he was not the only winner of this victory, and there was another person who was secretly celebrating his victory. What Cao Jixiang and Shi Heng did not know was that Xu Youzhen was not the only one who planned the impeachment in May. The actual organizer of this attack was another person—Li Xian. In Xu Youzhen's view, this person named Li Xian was single-handedly selected by him, and he is absolutely loyal to him. In fact, this person is indeed extremely shrewd and capable, and he is very capable of helping Xu Youzhen (historical records: quite capable).So he and Li Xian jointly planned the attack on Cao, Shi and others, and achieved certain results, which also made Xu Youzhen believe that Li Xian is an extremely reliable person. But what Xu Youzhen didn't know was that this Mr. Li Xian was not only his subordinate and confidant, but also an outstanding social activist who liked to make many friends, and one of his friends was named Shi Heng. Long before Xu Youzhen wooed, the relationship between Li Xian and Shi Heng was already very harmonious. Shi Heng once persuaded Li Xian to participate in the conspiracy to seize the door, but was rejected by Li Xian. People in the background didn't buy Shi Heng's account at all. Shi Heng was very dissatisfied, so he privately expressed to Li Xian, who was then the minister of the Ministry of officials, that he was going to drive away the disobedient minister and let him take over. The Ministry of Officials is the head of the six ministries, and the Minister of the Ministry of Officials is called the official of heaven, with a prominent position. Shi Heng is willing to hand over this position to Li Xian. It can be seen that in Shi Heng's eyes, Li Xian is also "one of his own". However, to Shi Heng's surprise, Li Xian refused. He humbly stated that he was not yet capable of taking on this important task, and it was better to let the original Shangshu stay. This move of Li Xian made Shi Heng feel deeply. In his opinion, Li Xian is different from others. A little more goodwill. But what Shi Heng never imagined was that the reason why Li Xian refused his kindness was because he had a deeper plot. In order to realize this plot, he had already made a careful plan, and he was secretly watching his prey, ready to strike at any time. That fatal blow. On his prey list, there are three names: Xu Youzhen, Shi Heng, and Cao Jixiang. Xu Youzhen has been alienated by the emperor, but he doesn't understand his situation. He still regards himself as the chief assistant every day, and doesn't pay attention to Cao Jixiang and Shi Heng, which also makes the conflict between them more and more serious.The impeachment of Yu Shi last time also gave Xu Youzhen a taste of the sweetness, so he decided to do it again. This time he found Zhang Peng, the censor, and collected a lot of evidence of Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang's crimes. He was going to impeach Zhu Qizhen. As before, he still consulted with Li Xian and arranged specific action steps. Xu Youzhen's cleverness has finally come to an end, the emperor no longer trusts him, but he has no self-knowledge, but the strange thing is that although Xu Youzhen is not familiar with the mystery, Li Xian knows it, but instead of stopping Xu Youzhen's behavior, he actively Participating in the planning, this move also made Xu Youzhen feel very cordial. Because Li Xian knew that the first step of his plan was about to be realized, and soon, he would cross a person's name off his list. Xu Youzhen started to act. He ordered Zhang Peng to write to the emperor to impeach Shi Heng. The timing was very good, because Shi Heng was out at the moment, and he could defeat Cao and Shi respectively. This plan was really good, but he didn't expect it He realized that his plan had gone bankrupt before it was implemented. Shi Heng was not an idiot, he had already arranged his eyeliner among the officials. Just the day before Zhang Peng was going to write the letter, he had already got the news, so he rushed back overnight and found Cao Jixiang to discuss countermeasures. Cao Jixiang told Shi Heng that the matter of filing a complaint is a certainty and cannot be changed, but as long as you and I enter the palace to do something, we will keep you and me safe tomorrow. Then he led Shi Heng into the palace to meet Zhu Qizhen. Before the emperor could recover, Cao Jixiang winked at Shi Heng, and began to do what they had agreed upon in advance—crying bitterly. Seeing the snot and tears coming down from the two people in front of him, Zhu Qizhen was at a loss, and hurriedly asked what happened, and then Cao Jixiang said sadly: "Censor Zhang Peng was ordered by someone to put us both to death, we have no choice, We can only ask the emperor to decide for us!" Zhu Qizhen didn't have any big reaction when he heard it. After all, this was a conflict between ministers and had nothing to do with him.So he behaved very flatly. However, Shi Heng continued to say something, and it was this sentence that touched him and finally decided Xu Youzhen's ending: "How dare a censor do this (An Ganer), now the cabinet has exclusive power, and we can't tolerate us!" Monopoly? Yes, it is monopoly. Shi Heng's seemingly unintentional words hit Zhu Qizhen's Achilles heel. He may be a good person, or a generous person, but if someone dares to touch his power, even the king of heaven and I will not discuss it! Zhu Qizhen decided to do something, he wanted to show his authority with practical actions, and tell everyone that he is the ruler of this empire. Early the next morning, Zhu Qizhen ordered Zhang Peng and Yang Xuan, who had written a letter before, to be imprisoned, and pointed his finger at Xu Youzhen. At this time, Shi Heng had learned that Li Xian was also one of the planners to attack him. He was very surprised and very angry, and decided to kill Li Xian and Xu Youzhen together.Afterwards, he continued to attack the two in front of the emperor, which finally prompted Zhu Qizhen to make up his mind and put Xu Youzhen and Li Xian in prison. Xu Youzhen was completely finished. He was imprisoned in the place where Yu Qian had been - the imperial prison. He sighed all day long and reflected on himself in the dark and damp cell. Everything was like a dream. After meeting Yu Qian, he was only happy for four months before becoming a prisoner.For him, life has come to an end. But Li Xian, who is also in prison, has a clear heart. In fact, he is the only winner in this struggle. He tries his best to assist Xu Youzhen and use Xu Youzhen's power to attack Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang.In addition, he also gave full play to the role of Xu Youzhen's shield, avoiding the counterattack of Shi Heng and others. But now it seems that he still miscalculated. After all, he was also imprisoned. What awaits him is an unknown fate, decapitation, exile, or exile? But Li Xian didn't panic at all, this day was already in his expectation, for which he had been preparing for a long time. Not long after, the punishment was decided. At last, it was the emperor's favor. Xu Youzhen was demoted to participate in politics in Guangdong, and Li Xian was demoted to participate in politics in Fujian. Xu Youzhen, who walked out of the cell, looked up at the long-lost sky and breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, this life was saved, but in his heart, he always felt sorry for one person, and this person was Li Xian. In Xu Youzhen's view, Li Xian is his close comrade-in-arms, and it is because of him that he has come to this point, so before leaving, he deliberately found Li Xian, and said to him apologetically, that things have come to this point, really did not expect , and now they have to go their own way and leave the capital, so they have to take care of themselves. Li Xian's reaction was unexpected, he was not depressed at all, but talked to Xu Youzhen very politely, expressing that he didn't care, and sent him out of the door himself after the conversation. Xu Youzhen left with guilt, and Li Xian smiled as he watched his leaving back. "Xu Youzhen, you are the only one who has to leave." Xu Youzhen went to Guangdong honestly, but Li Xian did not, because just before departure, an unexpected person stood up and spoke. This person was Wang Ao, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials who was almost dismissed from office. At this critical moment, he stepped forward to intercede for Li Xian who was about to leave. Under his vigorous lobbying, Zhu Qizhen finally got a favor. case, Li Xian was left in the capital, and he resumed his position as Minister of the Ministry of Officials shortly after. The answer was finally revealed. Li Xian did not exclude Wang Ao, and did not serve as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, just to welcome this day.Because he needs Wang Ao's help. Xu Youzhen was extremely clever and decided that Li Xian was his confidant, but he was wrong. Shi Heng has a high position and authority, and he used his official position to Li Xian, thinking that he could win him over, but he was also wrong. They all thought that this man named Li Xian would obediently listen to them and do things for them, but they never thought that in Li Xian's eyes, they were just prey. He could have joined the "Returning Home Mission" to become a high-ranking official and get a generous salary, but he didn't do so. During the days when the "Returning Home Mission" was rampant, he silently hid himself and learned tactics and tricks from those conspirators. tricks, and finally bring them down with these weapons.But what is he doing it for? From his later words and deeds, we can find the answer: justice. Xu Youzhen is not Li Xian's friend, Shi Heng is not Li Xian's friend, and even Wang Ao is not his friend. Li Xian seems to be an unpredictable person among these people, but in my opinion , he also has a real friend, this friend's name is Yu Qian. In fact, Li Xian and Yu Qian did not have close contacts, and they also had political differences. On the issue of succession, Li Xian advocated the restoration of Zhu Qizhen, while Yu Qian seemed not to be interested in the Supreme Emperor, but advocated that he should be the emperor. His son Zhu Jianshen succeeded him. Because of their different political opinions, the relationship between the two was once relatively cold, but during the vigorous defense of Beijing, Li Xian was completely impressed by this man who stepped forward to save the country from peril. Integrity left a deep impression on Li Xian. Li Xian, who has been in the officialdom for many years, was moved. For the first time, he realized that in this filthy place, there are still people like Yu Qian who are brave and upright. But in a blink of an eye, the situation changed suddenly, and a group of speculators who didn't know the so-called "returning the homeland" suddenly appeared, making the government a mess, and unjustly killing Yu Qian who had exhausted his efforts for the country. On the day Yu Qian was killed, Li Xian made an important decision in his life. He wanted to seek justice for this man who gave everything for the country and dedicated himself. He didn't stand up and publicly oppose those people's evil deeds, because he knew that it was useless. If he wanted to defeat those treacherous villains, he had to be more cunning and resourceful than them. He quietly hid himself, carefully Observe the movements of the opponents, use the contradictions between them, and defeat them one by one. In such a dangerous environment, he has gradually become mature and alert. Although he has experienced hardships and been caught in unexpected places, he has never given up his belief. Now that he finally got rid of Xu Youzhen, it was the turn of the second person. As the saying goes: Feng Shui turns around, and it will come to your house next year.Xu Youzhen should have a deep understanding of this sentence. Just four months ago, when he gained power, he put Yu Qian in prison but still did not give up. He must be put to death.But he never expected that the current situation would apply to him intact. He has lost all hope and only wants to go to Guangdong to be a poverty alleviation cadre, but Shi Heng insists that the status of a prisoner is more suitable for this dear friend.So they mobilized the spokesperson to impeach Xu Youzhen, and went to Zhu Qizhen to make trouble every day. Zhu Qizhen was very annoyed by him, and he himself really hated Xu Youzhen, so he sent someone to arrest Xu Youzhen who was on the road overnight. Xu Youzhen, who entered the palace for the second time, was miserable. He returned to the familiar place - Jinyiwei Prison, and starred in the second part of "Prison Storm".Here, he reunited with those "kind" guards, lived in a damp room every day, ate moldy prison food, and probably ate a lot of sap (Jin Yiwei commander Menda is a member of Shi Heng) , Washing my face with tears all day long. But for Shi Heng, these were not enough, he must kill Xu Youzhen, Zhu Qizhen finally agreed to his request, and planned to choose an auspicious day for Xu Youzhen to bleed. But at this time, an incident in the capital finally saved Xu Youzhen's life. Just as the executioner was sharpening his knife at home, the capital suddenly ushered in a heavy thunderstorm. Many buildings were damaged by the strong wind, and Shi Heng's house was also flooded.The ancients always talked about auspiciousness in handling affairs, and they had to check the imperial calendar for weddings and funerals, and killing people was no exception. After such a big natural disaster, everyone was panic-stricken, thinking that killing people at this time was unlucky, so Xu Youzhen took her life. However, capital crimes can be avoided, but living crimes cannot be forgiven. In the spirit of learning from past mistakes and avoiding future ones, curing illnesses and saving lives, Shi Heng thoughtfully arranged for Xu Youzhen, who was already in his fifties, to join the army in Yunnan. This is also a good arrangement. If Xu Youzhen is sent to Liaodong to join the army, he is very likely to meet Jiang Yuan, whom he arranged to serve in the army three months ago, and become his comrade-in-arms.And according to the order of recruits and veterans, maybe Xu Youzhen will help Jiang Yuan wash socks. After that, Xu Youzhen carried a spear for four years in that picturesque tourist resort, and was sent back to his hometown Suzhou in the fourth year of Tianshun (1460), where he survived for more than ten years and finally died. Xu Youzhen, a Jinshi in the eighth year of Xuande (1433), spent 16 years in the officialdom without any achievements. In the 14th year of Zhengtong (1449), he was ridiculed because he said a wrong sentence, and kept his name incognito for seven years. Successful in speculation, domineering and domineering, killed Yu Qian unjustly.After four months, he was imprisoned and exiled to Yunnan without his death. Finally, he returned to his hometown and died under the contempt and abuse of the people. I have nothing to say about this man.